Former Almost Famous workers to stage emergency protest in Manchester

Unite union members from across Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds will be staging action in the city today

Hundreds of workers lost their jobs at the end of January when Almost Famous announced it was closing all of its sites with immediate effect(Image: Gary Oakley/Manchester Evening News)

Former Almost Famous staff from around the country made redundant when the popular chain of restaurants closed earlier this year are to protest in Manchester.

At the end of January, it was announced that the restaurant – which known for its indulgent burgers – would be closing down all its sites in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.

The owners of the chain cited the challenging economic climate and ‘lingering debt’ for the decision after 13 years in business. Some employees later claimed they had only found out they had lost their jobs via social media and the news.

Some members of staff told the Manchester Evening News they had only been told via text. It was later revealed Almost Famous will be reopening as a new restaurant in Manchester, under new ownership.

Some former staff claim they’re still chasing wages, holiday pay and tips.

Almost Famous, which first launched in 2012, became known for its over-indulgent burgers at its sites across the country(Image: Supplied)

Unite union bosses are representing around 100 workers affected.

From 2pm today (Saturday, March 8), former staff from the Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds sites will hold an emergency protest outside the premises of Super Awesome Deluxe – the Northern Quarter burger joint that is run by the original Almost Famous co-founder and opened last October.

Almost Famous bosses previously reiterated that staff payments, including redundancy and pensions were being handled by the Redundancy Protection Service (RPS).