‘Year has to end on a good note’
Royal Borough: Cafes in tier 2 report drop off in trade
Cafes and restaurants in the borough that have seen a drop in visits since it went into Tier 2 are hoping that residents will support independent outlets as much as possible in the run-up to Christmas.
Flavio’s coffee bar and restaurant on the high street is one of the small outlets suffering.
“I have been working so many years, earning money, and now I need to put everything back into my business to keep it running,” said owner Flavio Pantaleao.
At Strawberry Grove Maidenhead in Bridge
Street, manager Roy Quinn notices that the usual seasonal behaviour has changed.
“People are coming into town to get a few gifts and then just going home again, to be safe,” he said.
Roy said that one advantage of going to a café
and having a coffee or a mince pie is that it helps get people into the Christmas spirit.
“We have to do something to stay positive. The year has to end on a good note.”
Those eateries attached to stores have also suffered, as well as those outside the town centre.
Stubbings Nursery contains a café which reopened after the nursery, affecting its sales.
“The café has suffered drastically as a result of the crisis,” said Oliver Good, managing director at Stubbings.
“We’ve got a lot of people visiting just for the café and that’s why it’s been such a struggle with the restrictions. It will never recoup the lost revenue.
“Local business can provide local people with a destination – a business like ours doesn’t require a visit to the town centre.
“It gives people confidence that they’re going to a safe environment.
“People have more time to fill, time that’s been saved by not having to go to the supermarket.”
The Cuppa Holyport on Stompits Road has had to adapt fast to changes, turning from just a café to a retail outlet to stay afloat, as its seating was not in line with Government restrictions.
“It’s made me support small businesses more because I know the struggle they’re going though,” said Ranj Nagi, joint owner.
“We are all caught up in this chain, we all have to pay our bills.”
Speed read...
As well as retail outlets within and outside of the main high streets, cafes and restaurants across the borough have been struggling to stay afloat. Despite changing their style of business, there remains a great deal of worry about the future.