While serving up food to hungry customers, staff members at a canteen in a Manchester manufacturing company do what they can to make life bearable. The crew consist of a motley mix of characters, from assistant manager Bren, who has a not-so-secret crush on manager Tony, to Bren's selfish mother, Petula (played by Julie Walters) and Twinkle, the youngest member of the bunch, who lives with her ailing mother, and the catty Dolly, whose tart tongue shreds co-workers and customers alike.