Memories Café Bar in Altrincham has been awarded an £11,000 grant as part of an international programme supporting independent restaurants and cafés.
The Cross Street venue, which opened in December 2023, is one of eight businesses across Greater Manchester to receive funding through the Backing International Small Restaurants (BISR) programme, supported by American Express.
Now in its fourth year in the UK, the initiative provides financial support to small, independently owned restaurants, enabling them to invest in improvements ranging from kitchen upgrades to enhanced marketing and customer experience.
The Greater Manchester recipients also include Grounded MCR, a community café in Cringle Park that offers training and employment to vulnerable adults, as well as The Original Third Eye, Pure Coffee in Vernon Park, Bad Manners, Mellors Café Bar, Billingtons Oldham, and Pagoda Chinese Cuisine Grill & Sushi Bar.
Globally, the programme is awarding over $1.4 million to 97 small restaurants across 14 cities in the UK, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Spain and France.
Dan Edelman, General Manager of UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: "Independent restaurants play such an important role in our local economies, and are so often more than simply places to eat.
"Through the Backing International Small Restaurants programme, we're proud to back these critical venues by providing grants for important business improvements."
The programme is managed by the International Downtown Association Foundation in partnership with the Association of Town & City Management.
