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?

No, common sense would be serving hot food when people want it!

Yes to mobile hot food vans who have queues at tea time.

(Because that's when people want hot food) 😊

Indeed, if it's so easy and ripe to make a fortune, the people wanting a cup of teas at 4-30 should buy a cafe and do it!

Probably not @Badbadbunny but food at 8pm is not an intestines ask of a restaurant is it?

I wish coffee shops would open late, even in Central London they close early evening. Not everyone wants to booze.

Intestines? Unreasonable!

I’m very surprised at this. You certainly could have got your tea at Birmingham Grand Central or Manchester Piccadilly. I appreciate it might not be your first choice but Starbucks have clocked this market and are typically open until 10pm. The problem for independent cafés is that they open at 6-7am for the breakfast trade.

I suspect that customers are like many people's friends when you have a baby or move away. "Of course we'll visit regularly. You'll have to throw us out" in reality you see them 8 months after the baby arrives for 5 minutes then never again unless you go to them and even then it's a struggle to see them. They might say that they'd love to go to the local cafe in the evening but will they really?

The take away from this thread is; (see what I did there?)

If you see a cafe open at decent times, use them and support them! Make it known that their logic and intelligence is much appreciated. #supportlocalbusinesswhentheycanbebotheredtoopenatreasonabletimes

It always seems to me like the definition of weird that cafes that make a big thing of being all about tea and cakes and ‘teatime’ close at….er, teatime.

We have a fully paid-up old-fashioned tea-room near us, the type with china tea services, a classic Victoria sponge-type cake menu….when it had only recently opened I went along one afternoon as I wfh and really, really fancied tea and a scone. They were wiping the tables down and told me they were closing soon. It was about 3:30 so not even proper teatime!

The street in question is dead by then and it’s been a big issue locally about businesses being under-used and going under - personally I feel there would be a demand if the place stayed open for another couple of hours, and probably do quite well, as they’d be hoovering up all the custom.

Only in the U.K. can you walk to a place that is still open and the staff say, ‘we’re cleaning/closing’ so actively turning away trade.

They have to clean and close at some point. You can't clean a fish frying range if you're still using it and it takes time so there has to be a cut off point. Unless you expect them to live there permanently?

The trouble is for everyone who wouldn't there is another customer who could and would but currently doesn't because they know the cafe is closed or doesn't serve food so its not worth taking the kids to come home and have to get them tea.

To be honest I'd be content being able to go during the day on a weekday but our local cafe isn't open everyday during the week either so I can't even do that.

@Halsall

"The street in question is dead by then and it’s been a big issue locally about businesses being under-used and going under*

Chicken and egg situation. Shops won't open if no one's around. Shoppers won't go if shops aren't open. It needs co-ordinated action between councils, businesses and local business organisations to put on special events like Xmas light switch ons, street markets, street entertainment, late night opening days, free parking evenings, etc., to encourage shops to be open AND shoppers to go.

Completely agree.
They're a tea shop- yet close at 'teatime'.
It's nuts.

If you ran a survey to ask the UKs population what time they'd want "hot food" - I expect most would say 5:30pm -7pm.

So to stop hot food at 4pm. Is just....odd.

And a bit thick

Yes, the small independent business owner wants a day off too, and usually picks the quietest day! The smallest of businesses can't afford a manager to run it when they want a day off!

No, what is "thick" is not being willing to understand that a small business owners who probably started at 7am doesn't want to still be there at 7pm!

Agree with PP. You need a town with a big Asian population, dessert shops out the wazoo until 10 or 11pm.

@Badbadbunny then maybe business ownership isn't for you 😊

The trouble is for everyone who wouldn't there is another customer who could and would but currently doesn't because they know the cafe is closed or doesn't serve food so its not worth taking the kids to come home and have to get them tea.

The odd person isn't enough to make it worthwhile though. Ianbro said that they've trialled longer opening hours and it didn't pay off. WormshuffIed who used to run a cafe said there wasn't enough footfall after 4. doubt that they're alone in this or more cafes would be doing it. Now clearly it works for some, for various reasons e.g a large Muslim population looking for alternatives to pubs in the evening but it doesn't seem to work for the majority.

Local one since covid closes at 2pm as they get almost no custom after 2 so can't afford to stay open.

Yes, the small independent business owner wants a day off too, and usually picks the quietest day! The smallest of businesses can't afford a manager to run it when they want a day off!

I'm not begrudging them a day off but our local cafe is open 3 1/2 days a week which does seem counter productive.

Does anyone think that perhaps these small places have tried opening past 4pm and it's just not viable? A cultural/habit change in when people want a cafe takes a long time and costs business a fair whack in overheads until the shift happens and people realise what's on offer. I would suggest that a lot of small businesses can't afford to/don't want to take the hit -especially at the moment.

Absolutely 👏

When I wrote about the hobby type place, I was really talking about tea rooms rather than full blown cafés, offering hot food etc.

Slightly off topic but...
There's a newsagent in a passageway to a level in the car park attached to a very big shopping centre. It's all under one roof - shops and car parking.
I remember when the newsagents was being shopfitted speaking with the owner and asking could it be open for about 10/15 minutes after the shops closed at 9pm as it would be so handy to pick up bits on the way to the car. He said he would. But didn't. I feel it's a missed opportunity.