The cafe that Costa couldn’t buy ... even for £120,000!
Couple reject a fortune to stay in job they love
WITH delicious breakfasts and stellar service from its husbandand-wife owners, it’s no wonder the Nice Baps cafe has been voted one of the nation’s best.
The business, run from a shipping container dressed up as a log cabin, has become Cornwall’s highest-rated eateries on TripAdvisor.
Yet in the latest example of the huge influence of the big chains, owner Kevin Baker has revealed how Costa Coffee has repeatedly begged him to sell up.
The chain, which is Britain’s biggest coffee outlet and boasts more than 3,400 outlets nationwide, is desperate to take over the cafe because of its prime location in a layby on the A39, a popular route for holidaymakers.
Mr Baker, 54, who runs the cafe with his wife Laura, 34, said: ‘They’ve been after us for the last two years. Three times a smartly-dressed man has come in and asked if we would like to sell them the site – the first offer was £80,000, then £90,000 and three months ago they offered £120,000.
‘each time I told them I wouldn’t sell up for a million quid. Like much of the country, Cornwall is swamped with Costa Coffees – do we really need another multi-million pound conglomerate opening up? No we don’t.’ Costa Coffee has since turned its attention to the nearby town of Wadebridge, where its plans to set up have been met with widespread disapproval from residents. Nice Baps has only been on Trip -Advisor for ten months but, in that time, it has received nothing but brilliant reviews. Mr Baker has been described as a ‘ legend’ and his food ‘a masterclass in the fine art of an all- day breakfast’. The cafe has also attracted celebrity customers, including David Cameron, eastenders actor Joe Absolom and the cast of Poldark.
Mr Baker, a father of two, added: ‘We are a simple business – we don’t have a fancy coffee machine, the beans we use are from Nestle and I’ve only just been told what an Americano is.
‘Our reputation shows you don’t have to be a big multi-national coffee chain selling all sorts of weird and wonderful drinks and snacks. You just need delicious food and good oldfashioned hospitality.’