Resort’s famous cafe is up for sale
New owner of chocolate maker Bonnet’s sought
IT IS one of Scarborough’s oldest cafes and houses a chocolate factory that could have rivalled the Bettys’ empire.
Bonnet’s has been serving locals and holidaymakers since 1880 and even counts celebrities among its clientele. Now the business, on Huntriss Row, is up for sale for £480,000, as owner John Fairbank is planning to retire.
Mr Fairbank, 72, has run the cafe since 1975, and it has been in his family for longer – his parents took it over in 1959 and it was established in 1880 by Louis Bonnet.
Mr Fairbank got involved when he returned to Scarborough after studying at the Royal Academy. He was planning to teach photography but soon found himself working as head chef and has been at the helm ever since.
“Both Bonnet’s and Scarborough have changed a lot in the past 45 years,” muses Mr Fairbank, who lives in a flat above his shop. “There used to be three people employed just behind the counter in the chocolate shop during the summer, but that ended when the supermarkets started stocking chocolates.
“The catering side has always been the biggest for us. We still
make the chocolates ourselves, and in our bakery we make pies from scratch. We use local produce in all our dishes.”
He believes the new owners could explore the potential to expand the chocolate sales online. Bonnet’s also holds a contract with English Heritage to supply cakes for the tearoom at Scarborough Castle.
He said: “The town centre has deteriorated, which has been detrimental, but our trade has always been steady. The seafront is busier now and has improved a lot, but the town centre is a bigger problem. There are big renovation plans for this street, though – the Premier Inn is expanding.
“It’s a fantastic business in so many ways, and it could expand into things like online sales and evening opening, which we’ve never done.
“There’s a lot more competition in Scarborough now, with lots of new cafes opening, but we’re quite happy with the reputation we’ve maintained.”
Bonnet’s has had many celebrity customers over the years – actor Michael Caine popped in every night to eat while filming the musical Little Voice in the town in 1998.
“He was a really nice bloke, and would always ask for a table hidden round the corner,” said Mr Fairbank.
Cricketing legends Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Dickie Bird have also visited, as have members of the Emmerdale cast. Mr Fairbank likes to maintain tradition at Bonnet’s – he still has some of the original Edwardian chocolate moulds used by Louis Bonnet in and past menus are displayed on the walls.
He is now looking to retire to a “nice cottage with a garden studio in the Vale of Pickering” to indulge his passions of painting and photography. His two sons both run businesses of their own.
We still make the chocolates ourselves and we make pies from scratch.
John Fairbank, the owner of Bonnet’s, in Scarborough.