Bishop Auckland restaurant Manzo window broken a second time

Josh Walker, 28, who owns Manzo, on Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, arrived at the venue on Saturday (December 27) to find that the window of the property had been left with significant damage.

Josh Walker outside Manzo in Bishop Auckland (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

This is the second time that the restaurant has been targeted after its window was smashed at the end of November.

Following the most recent incident, Mr Walker has insisted that while he believes those responsible are “a few bad apples” in the Bishop Auckland community, he’s spoken about the large impact something like this can have on an independent business.

Josh Walker, owner of Manzo (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

The chef and restaurant owner initially opened up the venture from The Station Hotel in Bishop Auckland, before relocating to Cockton Hill Road in the town in December last year.

And the venture means even more to Mr Walker, given that he and his wife piled their life savings into the restaurant, instead of spending it on a house.

The damage at Manzo (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

“We only had the glass put into the window two weeks ago. This is an awful way to top off the year,” said Mr Walker.

“People think that business owners drive back to their big mansions and have piles of money lying around, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Independent businesses need everything they can get and need the support of the people.

Josh Walker (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

“We love Bishop Auckland, I’m from here, and it was crucial to us that we stayed here last year when we moved.

“We felt the area deserved a restaurant like Manzo, but when things like this happen, we feel incredibly unwelcome.”

Following the most recent attack on his business, Mr Walker says that there’s a consideration that he might have to add shutters to the windows, but insists that he doesn’t want this to happen.

Josh next to the damage at his restaurant (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

“I don’t want to be putting bars on the windows, I shouldn’t have to, and I’ve never considered it before, but it’s better than smashed windows,” he added.

“And it’s not just a waste of our time, but it’s a waste of the police’s time too. They have more serious incidents to deal with than people damaging our windows, and I feel bad that police officers are taken out of bigger emergencies to do this.

Despite having to go through the damage to his restaurant, the 28-year-old says he wants the people of Bishop Auckland to support Manzo into 2026 and has thanked those who already support the venue.

This includes a New Year’s event that Manzo is throwing, with a few tables left.

“There’s been a perfect storm at the moment, and we’re trying to get back to the popularity level we had before we moved. Tindale has hurt our customer base a lot, and we haven’t yet bounced back,” Mr Walker said.

“We hope that people support us by coming down for a drink or a meal, or buying gift vouchers for Manzo.”