Inside ‘mega’ Greggs that’s so popular it’s open until 4am and is guarded by bouncers because it’s ‘always kicking off’
A “MEGA” Greggs is so popular it stays open until 4am and has to be guarded by bouncers.
The bakery, which has been dubbed “precious” by northerners, is a haven for revellers desperately wanting a steak bake after their boozy night.
Newcastle‘s 21-hour flagship store however is “always kicking off” with punters taking it one step too far while many are just trying to get their drunken scran.
Being the only branch in the entire country to stay open all-hours, The Sun paid it a visit during a hectic Friday night.
Customers at the Bigg Market location told how rowdy drinkers are regularly thrown out for fighting.
Bouncers cover each side of the entrance donning high-vis vests and bodycams.
Jade Mason, 24, said: “There’s a bouncer at Greggs because Newcastle is uncontrollable. It’s always kicking off.
“There always used to be fighting. It would be kicking off on this corner and there was no security.
“If I’m on a night out, I’ll go to Greggs. I go at the end of the evening and get a cookie.”
Reece Banks, also 24, added: “I’m from Teesside, and there’s a bouncer at the McDonalds, in Middlesbrough, which I always thought was mad.
“But to have a bouncer outside a bakery is absolutely crazy.
“However, I do understand it. Greggs is such an institution in Newcastle. It needs protecting. It’s as precious to us as the Angel.”
Reveller Louise Jones, 27, said it’s great because everywhere else is rammed at that time of night – or even the early hours of the morning.
She said: “All the other Greggs in the UK are closed when we go out.
“It’s great if you’re hungry. It’s better than going to McDonalds because it’s super busy there. We go to Greggs because it’s easy and it’s close to the bars.
“They sell pizza so instead of going to a takeaway and paying loads you can get a slice for £2 – and realistically you’re only going to have one slice after a night out.
“By the time people go there, they’re very drunk. It’s 2am, they all just want to get food and go home.”
Emily Bulmer, who has been the night manager of the city centre store for two years, says she moved countries to land her dream role at the Grainger Street shop.
She said: “I used to work at a Greggs in Scotland and when I saw there was a job vacancy specifically in this shop I applied for it.
“We sell the most steak bakes on a late night over anything else. Don’t get me wrong, the sausage roll is very popular, but everyone wants a steak bake on a night.
Inside Wenzel's bakery as they're set to take on Greggs
BY Keira Clarke
Wenzel’s Bakery is a family-run business which served its first loaf in 1975 and offers a range of sweet and savoury baked goods.
A familiar sight to North West Londoners, the brand has now expanded to over 100 locations and has ambitious plans to expand nationwide.
Like its competitors, Wenzels sells a range of popular goods from fondant fancies and unicorn cakes to sausage rolls and sandwiches with prices starting from just £1.
We went inside Wenzel’s headquarters and had a behind-the-scenes look inside the factory where the chain’s fresh goods are baked from scratch.
We got to see how some of the bakery chains’ 1,300 staff prep and mix the dough that ends up being someone’s breakfast roll.
We learn’t typical shift for the breadmakers in the Wenzels factory actually starts at around five or six o’clock in the morning.
The dough is mixed and proved in the evening before heading into a stone-burnt oven through the night.
This way the bread is kept extra fresh and amazingly is sometimes still warm as it’s being delivered to each of Wenzel’s 108 stores for the next morning.
Unlike other brands, Wenzel’s makes most of its products by hand.
Machines are brought in to mix the large amounts of dough and help with shaping, and then all of the goods are decorated by hand down to every last swirl.
Very few products are frozen and only instances where Wenzels wants to reduce food waste.
From baguettes to hot cross buns everything gets made here and the chain pumps out thousands of goods before they are sent off to it’s 108 stores.
“It’s busiest between 1am until 4am, which is when the main bars and pubs tip out.
“It’s a really nice area to work. Other security in the Bigg market radio our lads and make sure we’re okay. Everyone knows everyone.”
Open from 7am until 4am, the store welcomes everyone from busy commuters to drunk students at all hours of the day.
Macey Sweet, 19, strolled out with a pizza slice last week telling us she wasn’t surprised to see bouncers manning the doors.
She said: “With all the wrong’uns around here of course they have to have security guards on the door.
“It’s Newcastle, it doesn’t shock me that there’s guards here.
The security guards don’t surprise me – it’s a mixture of drunk people, Greggs and Newcastle so it makes sense to have someone on the doors.
Liam Bell
“They’re canny enough. I just hope they get a free Greggs at the end of the night.
“I didn’t realise it was the only Greggs that open until 4am – it makes me feel a bit shocked.
“I usually go to McDonalds on a night out but we came here because it was closer to Slug and Lettuce, which is where we’re heading next.
“I got a slice of pizza which was £2. We could have gone to a takeaway and paid £13.”
Liam Bell, 18, a welder from Newcastle, added: “It’s a cheap option on a night time, all these takeaways are too expensive.
“You get nice scran from here. My go-to is a steak bake.
“The security guards don’t surprise me – it’s a mixture of drunk people, Greggs and Newcastle so it makes sense to have someone on the doors.
“Being open until four accommodates people that are out on a night. Only a few of them open super late.
“It means it’s open when the bars empty out. It’s a great business move from them, especially with the prices of the takeaways, they’ll be making a killing.”
Greggs has been contacted for comment.
