What Freight Island does

Freight Island, operated by UK private limited company Meat Raffle Ltd, is a multi-vendor food hall and entertainment venue located in the Depot Mayfield complex behind Manchester Piccadilly station. The venue aggregates multiple independent food and beverage traders under one roof — including Brasa (Brazilian BBQ), Brewski's Big Tray BBQ, NELL's Pizza, Mia's Arepas, FUKU (Asian fusion), Oh My Cheesecake, and the Handpicked Tap Room — alongside multiple bars, a 1,500-capacity outdoor beer garden, a Sports Bar with live sports screening, and entertainment programming across multiple stages. Core product areas are Platform 15 (multi-vendor food hall), the Sports Bar, and ticketed entertainment events (DJs, live music, sports viewing). Supporting modules include private hire, Christmas events, and seasonal sports viewing (World Cup, FA Cup). The business sells directly to consumers via website booking, walk-in traffic, and email reservations, with transaction-based revenue models: vendors operate independently within the venue, the company generates ticket sales for entertainment, and table reservations carry £10 per-guest no-show fees processed via Stripe.

The business model centers on a platform-plus-modules architecture that monetizes the venue through multiple revenue streams: food and beverage transaction activity across resident vendors, ticketed entertainment events (with mailing-list pre-sale access), table reservation fees, private hire bookings, and sponsorship revenue from brands including Coca-Cola, Zyn, IQOS, VEEV, Camden Town Brewery, and Hand Picked. The company is led by Managing Director Daniel Morris and operates with approximately 66 employees, projected to expand to 100-150 at the Manchester site. Strategic partnerships anchor the programming model: Broadwick Live supports entertainment operations and Depot Mayfield provides the host venue. Customer segments are horizontally defined — social consumers, sports fans, and event attendees — with no enterprise B2B anchor accounts, implying a long-tail consumer revenue base.

Technology infrastructure is minimal and non-proprietary: third-party Stripe payment processing handles booking card transactions, and the company operates its own website (escapetofreightisland.com) with integrated ticketing and table booking. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary software platforms, or technology IP are disclosed. Marketing channels rely on email/newsletter (top-of-funnel mailing list), Instagram and Facebook organic social, PR coverage, and event-based programming. The company is UK-domiciled, privately held, and operates within a single geography (Manchester, England), with Meat Raffle Ltd reporting operations across multiple venues though Freight Island itself is the primary brand.

Name

Freight Island

Legal name

Meat Raffle Ltd

Website

https://escapetofreightisland.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Freight Island, operated by Meat Raffle Ltd, is a multi-vendor food hall and entertainment venue at Depot Mayfield, Manchester, hosting independent food traders, craft bars, live sports screening, and ticketed entertainment for mass-market social consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Vendor Food Hall & Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Amusement and Theme Parks (71311)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Multi-vendor food hall
• Hospitality venue management
• Live entertainment venue
• Independent food traders
• Craft beer bar

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue generated from multiple food and drink vendors operating within the venue, including Brasa (Brazilian BBQ), Brewski's Big Tray BBQ, NELL's Pizza, Mia's Arepas, Oh My Cheesecake, FUKU, and Handpicked Tap Room. Customers purchase directly from vendors.
2. Event Tickets: Ticketed entertainment events including live music, DJ sets, sports viewing, and special events. Early access to tickets available via mailing list subscription.
3. Table Reservations: Table booking system requiring card details. £10 per guest charge for no-shows or amendments with less than 24 hours notice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freight Island operates a multi-vendor food hall and entertainment venue within Depot Mayfield, Manchester, hosting independent food traders (BRASA, Brewski's Big Tray BBQ, NELL's Pizza, Mia's Arepas, Oh My Cheesecake, FUKU), craft beer bars (Handpicked Tap Room and rotating bars), a sports bar with live sports viewing, and programmed entertainment five days per week (live music, DJ sets, special events). The venue sells food, drink, ticketed entertainment, table reservations, and private hire across its indoor and outdoor spaces including a beer garden with capacity for up to 1,500 people. Customers transact directly with vendors at point of sale, while Freight Island takes a transaction-based percentage across the venue.

Product overview

Freight Island is a multi-vendor cultural hub and entertainment venue operating within Depot Mayfield near Manchester Piccadilly station. The venue functions as a platform-plus-modules architecture, combining a core hospitality and events platform with multiple independently-operated food and drink sub-brands. The core offering consists of Platform 15 (multi-vendor food hall), a Sports Bar (live entertainment and sports viewing), and Entertainment & Events programming. Supporting modules include Private Hire, Christmas Events, and World Cup Viewing. Food and drink is delivered through resident vendor brands including Brasa (Brazilian BBQ), Nell's Pizza, FUKU (Asian fusion), Mia's Arepas, Oh My Cheesecake, Brewski's Big Tray BBQ, and Handpicked Tap Room. The venue can accommodate up to 1,500 people in its outdoor beer garden area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Platform 15 Outdoor and covered seating area at the front of the venue offering a place to gather for food and drink; some bookable spaces with walk-ins accepted where available.
• Food & Drink Vendor Marketplace Multi-vendor food hall offering diverse cuisines from independent resident traders including Brasa (Brazilian BBQ), Brewski's Big Tray BBQ (Texas-style smoking), NELL's Pizza (22" thin-crust pies), Mia's Arepas (Venezuelan street food), Oh My Cheesecake, FUKU (Asian fusion), and Handpicked Tap Room (craft beer and cider), plus rotating bars.
• Sports Bar Manchester's biggest sports bar featuring live screening of Premier League, Champions League, international fixtures, and major sporting events on multiple screens.
• Entertainment & Events Programming Ticketed entertainment programming featuring top DJs, live music, live sport viewing, and special events running five days per week across multiple stages.
• Private Hire Whole venue and section bookings available for corporate events and personal celebrations, with extended booking times handled via email and pre-paid minimum spend requirements.
• Christmas Events Seasonal Christmas programming and dedicated festive private hire offerings.
• World Cup Viewing Live screening of World Cup football matches at the venue, combining sports viewing with food and drink offerings.
• Handpicked Tap Room Indoor craft beer and cider venue tucked away underneath Hotel Milano, featuring rotational craft beers sourced locally and nationally alongside live sports viewing.
• FUKU Independent Asian fusion restaurant owned by Anna Sung, featuring street food format dishes such as bao buns, Korean fried chicken, gyozas, and fusion burgers, with a half-and-half combo of chips and rice.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and support.

• Broadwick LivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor entertainment and events partner supporting Freight Island's programming and event operations.
• Depot MayfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue and strategic partner, Freight Island operates within the Depot Mayfield facility.
• Coca-ColasupportGTM or Marketing PartnerBeverage sponsor supporting venue operations.
• Hand PickedsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerHand Picked Tap Room operates within Freight Island as a craft beer bar partner.
• ZynsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerNicotine product sponsor supporting venue operations.
• IQOSsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerHeated tobacco product sponsor supporting venue operations.
• VEEVsupportGTM or Marketing PartnerVaping product sponsor supporting venue operations.
• Camden Town BrewerysupportGTM or Marketing PartnerCraft beer supplier partnership for the venue's beverage offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/freightisland
• Instagraminstagram.com/freightislandmcr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/escape-to-freight-island

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Freight Island