Oldham's Old School BBQ Bus has had a makeover and reveals major plans

Oldham’s very own Wild West-themed restaurant that has shot to fame recently after appearing on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals has completed a mini makeover this week - but has plenty of projects behind-the-scenes bound to be a hit with regulars.

The Old School BBQ Bus has grown exponentially since its inception in 2018 - when owner Mark Fairley operated from his specially imported yellow Arizona school bus.

All the tables have been varnished and artificial grass has been put down.

Now at a permanent home on Alford Street in Hollinwood, last week the restaurant completed a set of refurbishments to the premises to "spruce it up" ahead of its first wedding in August.

It has new artificial grass running through the restaurant, from Great Grass in Failsworth, to cover the tarmac.

The 'saloon' area is now adorned with specially-made whiskey barrels by Flux Interiors in Stockport, for a bespoke seating area in full view of the entertainment stage where live performances take place multiple nights a week.

The new seating area at the bar.

Here, revellers can sit at the barrels and enjoy one of the restaurant's Texas-themed cocktails such as Cactus Juice, Bubble-gum Bandit, Passionate Outlaw or Sweet Mississippi.

The steps leading up to the bus have also had a fresh lick of paint – in American flag colours red, white and blue – while all the tables have been revarnished.

It was no small feat for the team who worked in "sweltering" conditions during the heatwave to finish the makeover.

Mark said: “I’m so chuffed with how it looks.

“It looks massive, it’s so airy and it just feels really nice and really vibrant now."

But for the business owner and chef, the project has been all about supporting local businesses and keeping within a "Manchester theme" as all the new equipment has some link to a locally sourced or small business in the region.

A new desert shack is also on the cards which promises to bring a 'waffle stack', fresh cakes and ice cream from a family farm in Lancaster, which is on track for completion next week.

However, that's not all that's in store at The Old School BBQ Bus as Mark is in the process of launching his very own moonshine line with the help of a distillery in Strinesdale.

At least five "crazy" flavours are in the process of being created including ‘Vimtohhhh’, Manchester tart, Blackpool rock, maple bacon and 'shimmy raspberry jam doughnut', which Mark hopes to distribute to other local bars and supermarkets.

The restaurant is launching its very own moonshine.

Mark said a lot of behind-the-scenes work is poured into these projects, and he himself starts at 4am every morning to tend to his 'low and slow' barbecue meats which was a hit with fellow contestants during the restaurant's debut on the hit Channel 4 show.

Although Mark and his head chef, Dawn Draper, narrowly missed the top spot on the show, Mark said "everything has just gone crazy" ever since.

They've had to hire six more staff members to keep pace with the surge in demand.

However, Mark is now hoping to set up his own cook show to link up with other businesses across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Mark said: “We've got some quirky stuff – we’re trying to keep in with the Manchester theme.

“But I’m all about keeping things local and boosting different places.

“I’m part of a network group where it’s all about small businesses.

“We love coming up with new ideas – that’s the best thing with this place, because we’re not a chain or anything we can literally do whatever we want.”

The Old School BBQ Bus has live entertainment on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday – and soon to be Sunday - and customers can expect to taste Mark's new moonshine range next month.