To think that tea rooms close too early

[CoolForCats09]

This probably sounds like a totally pointless thread but this kind of annoys me - why do most tea rooms close at 4?
I get that places might open early so close early but I'd love to find more places that are open until 5 at least. I think ideal tea and cake time is about 4ish but there's never anywhere open by then, unless it's Costa.

Has anyone else ever thought the same?

A lot of the problem in country areas - the sort where you want tea after a walk - is obviously staffing. Some combination of covid and brexit has made things worse - down in the exmoor area we've come across nice pubs now not opening to non residents at lunchtime, and cafes (in absolute tourist traps where there is definitely demand) with very restricted hours or completely shut some days. Big 'staff wanted' signs outside.

It's possible to understand the issues but still wish for that tea!

Pubs aren't noisy late afternoon/early evening. That happens later.

Exactly, we tend to eat early (6-7pm) and usually seek out pubs with a good menu/reputation for food. You really don't get the noise/drunks/disturbance so early in the evening - most customers are there for the food. It's much later when you get the serious drinkers - typically 9pm onwards when the drinkers out number the diners. (Obviously you get the odd "regular" who spends most of the day sitting in a corner or on a bar stool on their own nursing a pint for hours!). The live "entertainment" usually starts late too, typically 8pm or later, so until then you just have the "hum" of people talking and maybe the background music of the jukebox.

Funnily enough someone posted on our local fb page today asking if there are any coffee shops open in the evenings, as she wants to go out with her friends for coffee/cake and not to the pub. Sounds a great idea to me.

You really don’t know why someone who’s been running their business from early morning doesn’t want to still be there all evening too?

Presumably people are assuming that cafes or tea shops or coffee shops might be able to work a system of different shifts like retail, leisure, other hospitality, childcare, plus of course all emergency services do. No-one is expecting the same person to work 15 hour shifts.

Or, indeed, try experimenting with not opening until lunchtime and then staying open later.

From this thread, it would suggest the market might be there.

I can just about cope with a cafe that shuts at 4pm, but what really annoys me are the ones where you arrive at 3pm to find a very limited supply of food. That is what actually puts me off going out for afternoon tea.

From this thread, it would suggest the market might be there.

People say lots of things. That doesn't mean that, in reality, they'd go to these places enough for it to be worth their while opening late.

They need lots of people to come in and spend every single day to make it worth the extra costs - not mums who'll come after school once a week with their kids for a treat, or friends who might meet for coffee once a month.

A lot of small cafes are run by the owner. They can't afford to pay a manager to manage it when they're not there and there won't be many managers available/willing to work a few hours per day, especially anti social evening hours. Any such person would not work for minimum wages!

As for not opening earlier in the day - words fail me. Why would a business owner close at a time tested busy time on the off chance they may get a few customers later - that's business suicide!

Exactly. For many small cafes, the breakfast trade is guaranteed regular business. Lots do takeaway breakfast buns etc and have regular daily trade from the same local workplaces or tradesmen/delivery drivers. Of course, people who want a piece of cake a few days per year at 4-30 won't be around to see the dozens/hundreds of breakfast buns being served between 8-11 every morning.

My favourite cafe was open till 7pm which was great for meeting people for tea and cake after work, but it closed just before covid. Now limited to a Neros which is ok but lacking the fresh cakes and an ice-cream place open till 9 which is ok but DH doesn't like the coffee. I would definitely go to any tea/coffee establishment open in the evening!

How busy was it between 4 and 7 pm?

Profitable businesses seldom close, so perhaps it simply wasn't busy enough to warrant survival?

It was to describe the generic situation one is usually faced with, rather than a specific occasion. One I can particularly remember was at a riverside walk place, where there is a cafe near the car park. Dozens of walkers and cyclists all milling about late afternoon, and I'm sure they would have had more customers had they not been stacking the chairs on the tables.

This lovely place - not too far from me but far enough to only visit rarely - is open until 9pm in the evenings and seems to have had good custom each time I have been. Would love more like this!

Prime example the cafe I was intending to go to this afternoon had closed by 3:20pm. It doesn't serve much savoury food if any, so it's not like they had a mad lunch time rush or anything

To be fair, it's a late Sunday afternoon in October. Most cafés (even chains) won't be getting much business at that time of day.

I suspect they have a busy period (10-2.30ish) and then it dies down to the point where it's a waste of money to remain open - staffing costs, electricity, heating, extra food needed just in case someone orders (which needs to be sold otherwise it goes to waste) etc.

They don't get enough customers later in the day to warrant paying the wages for the staff to keep it open.

Exactly. Plus there are so many eateries now to choose from and only so many
People . Most places are dead after 3 pm . I've noticed shops starting to close at 5 pm too

Found rhis post after doing an umbrage led search on Google.
I live in a small town, had an appointment today and some admin to complete before posting so thought I'd treat myself to a fancy coffee and do quiet admin as no kids this evening.
Without exception, every nice little cafe, hipster coffee shop, artisan tea room etc closed between 2 and 3pm, leaving me the choice of a Spoons or subway
Both significantly cheaper but it pees me off, especially when all the cafes are in direct competition, slate each other, complain about new rival businesses opening up etc.
Why don't they stagger their hours?
None open on a Sunday and those that open Saturday all close by 2pm and lunch type food is sold by around 11am.
Every new business that opens seems to be a food place too, and before long yoyre just faced by yet another harassed looking becoming embittered owner and it sucks all the joy out of the experiencr for me .

Meant to add, one of the main reasons for my gripe was not having anywhere nice to take the kids for a cake treat and sit down drink after school. Lots of other parents have said similar so I'm sure there would be footfall from school run parents among other people

Agreed. Pubs don’t want tea people either though.
I want a pub that takes 20 seconds to pour. I don’t want to be behind someone that orders two teas and coffee that require numerous bits of crockery, steamed milk, cold milk, funding tea bags, spluttering coffee machine etc etc etc.

"I want a pub that takes 20 seconds to pour. I don’t want to be behind someone that orders two teas and coffee that require numerous bits of crockery, steamed milk, cold milk, funding tea bags, spluttering coffee machine etc etc etc."

Spoons is self service though their tea is bad because the water isn't properly boiled. However, it might be possible to have better quality tea and coffee machines.
If pubs didn't want tea people, they wouldn't serve it. Most of them didn't use to, or just at lunchtime, but many do now.

Completely agree, i work in retail in a small town, all our coffee shops / cafes close at 3.00!
Bloody embaressing when visitors ask where they can grab a coffee and cake at ten past.. it happens a lot!

Yes to wanting coffee shops/tea shops to stay open a little bit later.

When we're on holiday or away for the weekend, my husband and I have nicknamed it "4 o'clock syndrome" where we've been out for the day and want to sit down for a cup of tea and cake before heading back to our accommodation, but nothing is open. It's that weird in-between time where its too late (apparently) for the teashops, but far too early for an evening meal.

Also, I think posters on this thread are talking about different types of cafe.

I wouldn't expect a cafe that opens at 7am to cater for workers' breakfasts to still be open at 4pm or later.

The original post was about "tea rooms" - the type with several varieties of cakes and scones etc on offer with sandwiches/light meals.

fullcoffeeroast.com/what-is-a-tea-room/

"English tea rooms typically serve light lunches as a part of afternoon tea. Those light meals often include finger sandwiches or pastries such as scones.

Essentially, an English tea room acts as a smallrestaurant where visitors can enjoy a small afternoon meal with a cup of tea. Sometimes, these establishments will offer several varieties of loose leaf teas."

There are several tea shops/coffee shops in my town which don't open until 9.30am but still close around 3.30-4pm. That's really irritating if I fancy a coffee directly after dropping the kids at school, but would have to hang around for 20 minutes. So I don't bother, unless there are other things I also need to do in town.