The Manc who's gone from selling salad bowls from home in lockdown to opening a trendy city café

A Manchester businessman who set his food firm up during lockdown has just announced his first permanent location in the city centre.

Jamie Tones used to live in Sydney, Australia, and returned to his home in Britain for the pandemic. Over lockdown, he set up Bondi Bowls as a fledgling eatery offering delivery of flavour-packed salad bowls.

That led to residences at Hatch and Escape to Freight Island. Now, however, he’s gone a step further.

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The new Bondi Bowls will open at Kampus as a ‘laid back eatery’ serving coffee and food, with takeaway options available. It will be the culmination of long-held ambition for the 30-year-old chef, who’s worked at restaurants around the world but had a dream to have his own space.

“We always hear people in the city complaining about the lack of options when it comes to healthy food they can grab quickly,” said Jamie. “Australia does that really well, with healthy fast food that has real vibrancy and personality that you don’t really get here in the UK.

“We’re taking that inspiration from Bondi Beach and bringing it to life in the heart of Manchester at Kampus – with super nutritious bowls that pack a real flavour punch. It’s the absolute antithesis of the sad supermarket salad people reach for when they’re trying to make good food choices. Everything on the menu is plant-based, with the option to add extras like meat and fish to cater for everyone.”

The new place will also offer all-day brunch offering from morning til night. It will set up shop just off the lush communal garden, with its nearest neighbours being Pollen bakery.