Cakes & Ale no more as popular cafe bar closes
WELL-KNOWN Mumbles business Cakes & Ale has announced it will close its doors, citing a difficult past two years and rising costs in challenging times.
Having opened in August 2019, the cafe bar quickly became one of the leading food and drink venues in the area.
But it said previously that the industry had taken a “bashing” from the pandemic and early during the crisis it lobbied Swansea councillors to enable businesses to create outdoor seating space to help them survive.
The decision now to close comes just weeks after the business expanded into Fishcakes & Ale – a new premium fish and chip takeaway aimed at helping the venture become Covid-resistant. It enjoyed a sell-out debut weekend.
Owner Laurence Winmill confirmed Cakes & Ale had ceased trading and issued the following statement which was also shared on the business’s social media pages: “We’re really grateful for the support we received from the wonderful people of Mumbles and beyond since we opened back in August, 2019.
“Unfortunately, for reasons we are all familiar with, trading conditions over the past two years have been extremely difficult, and, sadly, rising costs in challenging times have made it impossible to make the business work, despite every effort.”
The statement added: “It’s with a very heavy heart that we have had to take the decision to close our doors here at Cakes & Ale.”
Thanking people for their custom over the years, the statement added: “We are really sorry to say goodbye. We threw everything at it and loved being a part of your days and evenings – thank you for joining us.”
Fishcakes & Ale, a separate business, will remain unaffected by its sister across the road closing, which will also see seven full-time and seven part-time jobs being lost to the area.
The owner had previously acknowledged the overwhelming challenges presented by the pandemic when discussing the need to find Covid-resilient ways of making the business succeed.
He said: “I don’t think anybody in hospitality can say they’re a commercial success because of what Covid has done. Cakes & Ale has really fought hard to stay open during a very difficult and challenging time.”