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Mar 2020

Last Updated: 17/03/2020

Some cafes across the Harrogate district adapt to stay open

by Ami Miller Lifestyle Reporter

| 17 Mar, 2020

Café owners tell the Stray Ferret they’ve been ‘hung out to dry" after Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged everyone to avoid "social venues"

Many restaurants within the Harrogate district remained opened today but it was very much a situation of business as ‘unusual’.

The Tannin Level, which is in its 35th year of operating in the centre of Harrogate said that many people are ‘just assuming closure, which is not the case.’

The owner, John Roberts, told the Stray Ferret he thought the government had let them down:

'We are stuck between a rock and a hard place, the government are telling people not to come but we aren’t being told to close so we are trying to stay open. The hospitality industry have been hung out to dry”

Mama Doreen’s emporium, a popular tea room in the centre of Harrogate told the Stray Ferret that they were ‘not giving up.’

Jessica Wyatt who started the independent tea room in 2009 has closed the eating area but is now offering a delivery service and takeaways.

"If customers can’t come to us we will go to them. With 800 people booked in for mothers day we do not feel it would be a safe environment for anyone, so we have decided to close our tearooms and deliver afternoon tea to peoples doors.’

‘We had a busy weekend, I think people knew it may be the last time they would be able to eat out for a while, but since Sunday sales have been down by 30 percent. I hope that our new takeaway menu offers our customers an alternative and will hopefully bring a little joy through these difficult times by being able to have cake and afternoon tea delivered to your door."

Some Cafes staying open have tried to make allowances for “social distancing”.

Bowe and Co, a family run café in Boroughbridge reduced covers from a capacity of 30 to 15, now only offering tables of two. The owner of the small café, Adrian Domenico said

“We are doing what we can to stay open but whether we will have a viable business by the end of the week or the end of tomorrow is unknown. We have just paid off our final business loan yesterday, but it looks like we may have to plunge into debt again."

With a huge degree uncertainty and potential job cuts and closures many restaurants are looking for alternative ways of making money and whilst many are ensuring social distancing. Al Bivio, an Italian restaurant on Hornbeam Park, told the Stray Ferret that "social distancing is not an issue when people aren’t coming through the door.".

Sandra Doherty, CEO of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, said:

"We're doing all we can to support businesses by spreading the word about what they're offering in these difficult times.

"Many cafes and food shops are now offering deliveries to customers, including drop-offs without contact for people who are isolating. This is a fantastic way that local people can both support our valuable businesses and get good quality food delivered directly to the door.

"Our priority now is to ensure a clear message goes out that the Harrogate district is still open for business, even if it's in a slightly different way from the usual”

Provenance inns, which owns the West Park Hotel and have 7 gastro pubs and boutique hotels across North Yorkshire, remained open for now but has seen most rooms cancelled:

A spokesperson from the company has said

"The safety of our guests and staff is paramount, we are disinfecting all hard surfaces, door handles and chairs after each use as well as making sure we have a minimum of 2 metres between each table. We were fully booked for Mothers day but unfortunately have seen 30 percent cancellations since last nights government announcement, as well as most of our accommodation being cancelled or postponed”.