There are easier ways to open a restaurant than importing a yellow school bus from Arizona.

Mark Fairley did it anyway.

Back in 2016, the former steel-fabrication supervisor used a £24,000 Start Up Loan to buy an American school bus, convert it into a working BBQ kitchen and start serving low-and-slow meat in Greater Manchester.

The cooking idea had proper roots behind it too.

Fairley had trained in barbecue in Austin, Texas, and the early Old School setup was more about smoke and meat than scenery. The bus started life trading from a pub car park in Failsworth before the whole thing grew into a permanent home in Chadderton.

And then Country music moved in properly.

Old School has been putting live Country on for years, with British artists playing there long before the current Country boom made every second bar think about buying a cowboy hat.

Today, live music still runs every Friday and Saturday.

That makes the place more interesting than a themed restaurant with a playlist.

You can turn up for brisket, ribs and smoked meat, then stay because there is an actual Country act on stage.

The place has even ended up in British Country music videos, which tells you something useful about how the scene sees it.

It looks the part because, over time, it has become part of the part.

There are some very British details in there too.

Old School has worked with Oldham’s own Calentillo Spirits on moonshine, while the menu has found room for things like Irn-Bru chicken fries beside brisket, Texas toast and Tennessee bourbon gravy.

That is probably exactly how this stuff should travel.

Keep the smokehouse.

Keep the Country music.

Then let Oldham have a go.

One of the best examples came when Come Dine With Me: The Professionals turned up. Old School served a Texan-themed menu and finished the evening with a hoedown.

British teatime television, Greater Manchester and Country dancing all in one room.

Seems about right.

The audience gets involved elsewhere too. Old School has run Country & Western bingo, line dancing, games and Cowboy Christmas events, while the newer smokehouse setup makes the cooking itself part of the night, with brisket carved and meat grilled where diners can actually see it happening.

And somehow, all of this now sits comfortably beside Oldham Athletic.

Old School has sponsored the club, offers discounts to season-ticket holders, and has planted itself firmly enough in the area that the American school bus no longer feels like something dropped in from another world.

It belongs there.

That may be the best thing about Old School BBQ.

It borrowed the bus, the barbecue and a fair bit of the attitude from America.

Then Greater Manchester took over.

OLD SCHOOL BBQ — USEFUL LINKS & GOOD TO KNOW

Before you go: live music, events, opening arrangements and menu items can change. Check Old School BBQ directly before travelling for a particular act or event.