Whitley Bay café thrilled as comedian Jason Manford leaves glowing review after visit
The owners of a popular Whitley Bay café have shared their delight after Jason Manford left a glowing review following a surprise visit.
The comedian stopped by Meet Me On The Corner for breakfast on Thursday, while staying in the seaside town for four shows at the Whitley Bay Playhouse on his A Manford All Seasons tour. And the star was clearly impressed by his dish, sharing a mouth-watering photo of the cafe's delicious twist on eggs benedict, made with shredded ham hock and roasted onion puree, on his Instagram page.
"Absolutely cracking Eggs Benedict at @meetmeonthecorner_cafe in Whitley Bay! Highly recommended!" he raved, with the post quickly gaining hundreds of likes.
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Meet Me On The Corner opened on Ilfracombe Gardens in May 2022, and is run by married couple Laura and Kris Campbell from North Shields. The pair decided to leave behind demanding careers in the food industry to start their own business together so they and their two children, Leo and Francesca, could spend more quality time as a family.
Earlier this week, Laura posted a cheeky comment on a Facebook post by Jason mentioning that he was going to be spending time in Whitley Bay, recommending that he stop by Meet Me On The Corner for breakfast. But the café owner got a big surprise when she soon received a reply from the comedian vowing to pay a visit.
"I was half joking, really - I didn't think he'd even see it!" she admitted. But Jason turned up at the café the next morning with his dad, his uncle and his tour manager Gordon, later sharing news of his visit all over his social media pages - leaving people flocking to the venue on his recommendation.
"We'd had a really quiet couple of days, which is always a bit disheartening - but today has just been absolutely mad!" Laura told ChronicleLive on Friday. "It's just given us a nice little boost."
She added: "It was so nice of him, because he didn't have to do that - he could have just come in and then gone. I messaged him to say thank you, and that this really means a lot for small businesses."
Meet Me On The Corner offers an all-day brunch menu, featuring Jason's favourite eggs benedict alongside the likes of a full English breakfast, smashed avocado with poached eggs, Korean steak and egg, and bacon and brie ciabatta. The café, which can be booked for private hire, also recently re-introduced its Sunday lunch offering, and has festive events coming up including a Christmas dinner with carol singers.
Jason, meanwhile, is continuing his A Manford All Seasons tour with the next stop in Brighton on November 6. He will next be back in the North East for a show at Newcastle's Utilita Arena on November 27.