Themed pods offer an original cafe experience
The Green Place’s inspirational innovation
A SILEBY cafe that has reopened after lockdown is offering a quirky way to enjoy refreshments, and it could be in Nana’s Front Room.
With many cafes and restaurants operating slightly differently in the wake of Covid-19 - The Green Place, in Sileby, is no exception.
It now has outdoor pods for hire, which help customers maintain social distancing. They have all been made from recycled items, such as billboard frames and washing machine windows as The Green Place is part of community project, Complete Wasters. This aims to promote all things green and ethical while having fun along the way.
There are nine pods to choose from, including Indian Beach Hut, Sunnyside, Honey Cottage, Nana’s Front Room, Checkpoint Charlie and The Space Pod.
There’s also The Bus Stop, The Festival Glade and The Confessional.
The Green Place is run by Darren Potter and Deborah Parker.
Darren said: “As the virus took hold it became increasingly apparent any business with indoor spaces was going to find it a challenge to reopen with all the new guidelines.
“The Green Place has plenty of outdoor space but not much under cover to cope with the great British weather.
“Then we hit upon an idea of creating random themed ‘pods’ made from all the reclaimed items we had been hoarding (and tripping over) for years. Bits of shed, rusty tin roof sheets (Checkpoint Charlie), lots of timber pulled from skips, washing machine windows (The Space Pod), double glazed windows, billboard frames (Indian Beach Hut) plus many other odds and ends.
“It was time to have fun and get creative and slowly things started to take shape and a theme would almost accidentally appear which would give rise to its name.
“Of course, these things take time, labour and some additional materials, which is why we were delighted to crowdfund over £800 to make the pods happen.
“We are so grateful to all those who contributed - some of whom are named on the sponsorship cards in each pod.”
There are plans to build more pods over the coming weeks. For now, August is a test run to see if it all stacks up financially and if it does, then we will continue opening Fridays and Saturdays, with a view to more days if we can,” said Darren. “Maybe even a Sunday. Darren is also planning to reintroduce The Green Place’s outdoor cinema - with a limited number of tickets - as well as workshops and possibly live music.
The pods can be booked for up to an hour 45 minutes, which gives the team 15 minutes to sanitise them fully between customers.
There is a non-refundable deposit required for each booking.
A reduced menu is available with vegan and gluten free options.