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06
Mar 2023
Knaresborough's Riverside Cafe owners bid farewell after 13 years
The owners of Knaresborough's Riverside Cafe have sold the business after 13 years.
The independent cafe, situated under cliffs alongside the River Nidd on Waterside, is a favourite haunt for numerous tourists and cyclists, as well as local people.
Partners Phil Smith and Tim O'Hara will serve their last coffee and cake as owners tomorrow before Michael and Louise Bland, who own Vivido Bar and Restaurant on Cheltenham Crescent in Harrogate, take over.
The cafe is expected to close for a week before reopening, with the previous owners helping out for a short period.
Mr Smith said it felt like the right time to go, adding:
Mr Smith said regular customers from Wakefield, York and Lincoln were due to visit today to bid farewell and he expected tomorrow to be emotional.
But he said Mr and Mrs Bland would "breathe new life" into the business and he and Mr O'Hara would support them before taking life easier. The six staff will stay on under the new owners.
Read more:
- Public meeting to save River Nidd in Knaresborough from 'ecological disaster'
- Knaresborough town crier Roger Hewitt to retire
Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said she and her husband had been friends with Mr Smith and Mr O'Hara for years and they "fell in love with the place" when they visited and later jokingly said they would like first refusal if the cafe ever came up for sale.
Vivido celebrated its fourth anniversary last week and Ms Bland, who lives in Leeds, said the Italian and Mediterranean venue was now running well and she and her husband were excited by the prospect of operating daytime and nighttime businesses.
She said she hoped to reopen the cafe next week but no date has yet been finalised. Ms Bland said:
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