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?

I didn't realise this happened everywhere. I have been moaning to DH that our local ones close at 3 so I can't take the DC after school. Ours are right by a school too, they would do a great trade.

Yes- and why do museum cafes close before the museum not after, so you can have a drink and cake after looking around?

I used to run a cafe, there is not enough footfall at 4 to justify paying staff, also you need to clean up so if you open later the staff will be working long shifts with longer breaks required that will need covering.

Agreed! Nearly every single cafe/coffee shop in my town close at 4pm. I love taking the kids for a walk to town after school and a coffee and cake. We always end up in Costa because they're open until 6pm.

I would have thought they were missing out on lots of business from other parents after school but maybe they have tried it and decided it wasn't busy enough 🙄

Totally agree. Infuriating.

I live in Essex, near Southend. We have a few local businesses that stay open later but they're not exactly tea rooms. One place is Ankes in Westcliff which is a German coffee house. Greay food, cake, fantasic quirky, cosy atmosphere. She always stays open until about 5/5.30. And on a Friday and Saturday, she stays open until 9pm and you can just go in their for tea and cake, listen to jazz, it's great. Such a nice alternative to going to the pub.

London seems to offer cafe/coffee shop/tea room choices late afternoon/early evening and sometimes even later. But it's actually those little holiday destinations where it would be most useful.

If anyone knows Frinton in Essex, it pretty much closes by about 3.30pm. My parents had a holiday flat there and it always baffled us. People go to bed early there it seems 😂

Round me there's loads of dessert places. Sorted.

Yes, this!!! So frustrating.

I used to own a café. Opened at 7am and closed at 3. The reality was that I was there from 5am till 5pm prepping then cleaning down. 12 hours a day six days a week. So 70+ hrs a week. With a couple of cash and carry runs each week to throw into the bargain. Spent a few hours on a Sunday doing accounts.

Was constantly asked why I closed so early. Was asked why I didn't open on evenings or Sundays for Sunday lunches. Oh you would do a roaring trade folk would say. I was on my knees and so were others I knew in the industry.

Believe me, nobody is paying sky high rent, rates and utility bills to operate a café as a hobby. Unless they are incredibly rich.

dd worked all summer in a small popular cafe right next to the main road that runs up West coast Scotland and she says from about 3 pm on there were barely any customers in the cafe anymore. I doubt it would be viable for them to be open past 4 pm. Before lockdown they used to open a few days every week for longer with a different menu, including really nice pizza, but they don't have the staff to do that anymore.

Out of curiosity...

If a cafe/tea shop stayed open until maybe 9pm on a week night (maybe 10/11pm on a weekend) and offered maybe live music, crafting, open mic type events, would you go?

I am tee total and find it difficult to find evening social events that are not steeped in booze. I always dreamed of a late opening cafe with some form of entertainment.

I think cities will have more choice of places that stay open later. Like Brighton for instance.
There used to be a great coffee shop there called Marwoods that stayed open later for tea and cake. I remember dh and I opted for a hot chocolate in there rather than going to another pub one night 😁

I live in Cornwall and tearooms are barely open at times. Our local one:
Monday- closed
Tuesday- 10-2
Wednesday - closed
Thursday 10-2
Friday 10-2
Saturday 10-2
Sunday closed

And guess what? Owners complaining that small businesses are suffering 🙄 #supportlocalbusiness

Um, you have to be open for business to make money.

The reviews suggest these have been the opening hours since new ownership in 2018, so nothing to do with retirement, cost of living, covid, hospitality crisis etc

I'm trying to support local. I am. But our cafe is never open and Costa is. So 🤷‍♀️

But the owners keep on bitching on the towns FB page. 😂

And that's near Truro. A city!

Those going on about the hours the staff have to work.....there's this magical thing called shifts. Imagine how well it would work if you had a morning/lunchtime shift for those with kids they need to collect from childcare, and a shift starting at 4pm - 8pm providing a lovely little job for some nice teenagers?? It's no wonder teens these days can't get a job, nobody actually engages brain and thinks of this stuff.

Your local sounds like ours. I have a 2 year old and despite the short opening hours I would actually be able to take him during the week on days I don't work but the place isn't open on those days!

I don't understand why doing shifts would be such a difficult concept like they do in chains? Yes some places may find its quiet after 3 but that's partly because people know the place won't be open so don't bother going. Opening from 4-7/8 would give people time to get their kids from school or finish work and then come for an hour.

Yes exactly this! Our local one is deffo like this.

Apparently our pub is opening up for coffee and cake now to fill the gaps. So the cafe will probably close down eventually.

That is something different entirely. It was traditional to have Morning Coffee, often with cake or biscuits. You used to see signs for it outside cafes. No need now with all the coffee shops etc.

Having Morning Coffee shouldn't exclude you from also having Afternoon Tea but nowadays they serve the teas much too early.

My bugbear is fancy restaurants that serve afternoon tea at lunchtime, what's that all about?

When my kids were little I would sometimes do afternoon tea for them as a treat when they got in from school. That was the perfect time of day for it and they loved having the little cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off and a selection of cakes and scones. They still do.

Aren't dessert parlours with the Instagramable decorations the trendy version of cafes that open till late? Lots of those around here and seemingly growing, most don't open till 10/11 so stay open much later.

I have recently discovered a coffee shop/bar by me that opens until 7.30 but it was very quiet so may not survive. There is a town close to me with a large Muslim population. The dessert shops open until midnight . I assume this is because Muslims don’t visit pubs it’s the alternative for socialising . My teenage DGC love having somewhere to go in the evening.

Board games, twinkly low lighting and blankets available

This is what cafes are like in the evening when the owner engages the brain. 😂

They either want to be adult only, or the demand just isn't there, despite what we think.

I agree if love somewhere to go either later in the afternoon or to be able to go out in the evening to a cafe for a nice soft drink (usually tea/coffee) and a cake etc.

Thats what I miss about living in Kensington (sounds fancier than it was - tiny shoebox/cupboard).
But there were nice cafes open until 11pm- midnight.

Although I can see why if there’s drunks about in a busy city centre that people try to get shut up and locked up before they get targeted.

My DM used to take my DC for cake occasionally after school and the cafe was full at 4pm.

Quite a few close at 3pm here, it’s a bit annoying as dd has in the last wanted to meet friends after school for cake but nowhere is open.