Page 12 | What do you want from a teashop?

littleteapotandcake · 2023-09-01T14:55:33+00:00

I'm at the very early stages of looking at taking over a teashop in a small seaside town. I would interested in finding out what you like or don't like when you visit or any advice from anyone who has done/is running a teashop now. TIA

cornflower21 · 01/09/2023 19:35

Homemade cakes.

Not overpriced.

Selection of seasonal coffees.

Good selection of tea, herbal, fruit etc.

Option to sit outside if weather permits.

Katypp · 01/09/2023 19:35

Lovelynames123 · 01/09/2023 19:29

@Katypp in my shop tea comes in a mug, or you can buy a pot which is 2 cups worth. The cost, storage and washing of the amounts of teapots we would need if every cup sold needed a pot would be impossible!

Most sensible business owners have things they way they are for a reason, the ones who aren't cost focused are the ones I see weekly going out of business ☹️

Really? I used to run my own business so I am pretty realistic on costings but I can't imagine rinsing a mini teapot (for one cup) would massively cut into your bottom line. I would not return to your shop if I was served a teabag in a mug, sorry. Most people are not bothered, but if you are, you are REALLY bothered. You may well be losing customers.

Original poster

littleteapotandcake · 01/09/2023 19:36

What vegan fillings would you suggest?

OP posts:

iamthattree · 01/09/2023 19:39

As pos have said, something for those on a healthy eating kick. Smaller portions of cake or if you are doing food, something which isn't all carb based. My dad was diabetic and ate very low carb but regularly. He used to love the NT cafes that had 'hot pots' which were hearty soups or stews as he'd be able to have something filling.

Two of the popular cafes in the pretty touristy bit keep an all day breakfast menu that seems pretty easy to customise.

We also have a small town nearby which is a bit down at heel. It had a cafe in the centre which is always full when Costa/Starbucks closed. It had a lot of space inside and out, the outside space covered, a play pit for little kids outside, a basic menu at reasonable prices and order at the till, it's brought to your table. This bit is v important for the elderly customers of which there are a lot. It's not chintzy or fancy but it is warm and welcoming.

cornflower21 · 01/09/2023 19:39

No plastic cutlery and cups please, or paper cups- proper ceramic cups please.

ThreeRingCircus · 01/09/2023 19:39

No dogs allowed indoors.

Tea in a teapot and jugs of milk.

Sugar cubes rather than saches.

Mismatched china. Handles that are easy to hold rather than silly little handles you can't get your fingers through properly.

A small area for children to play with a few toys.

Proper barista-style coffee. I've been to far too many that make coffee out of a tassimo machine or something similar.

Cream tea with clotted cream and a choice of jam flavours..... definitely not whipped cream.

Savoury cream tea option as an alternative. Cheese scone with either butter and onion chutney or cheese scone with cream cheese and chilli jam.

Cakes on the counter covered rather than out in the fresh air with people breathing all over them.

A small bookshelf for book swaps.

Free newspapers and comfortable seating.

Clean loo and baby changing facilities.

Small menu but done well. A choice of sandwiches and cakes. Possibly soup and salads but I'd rather have less choice and what is served be really good than a huge but mediocre menu.

iamthattree · 01/09/2023 19:43

On vegan fillings maybe something with a mashed chickpea? Cafe near me does coronation chickpea and I make an avocado and chickpea I got from Insta! Bit different from houmous but hopefully economical. Pret do an avocado and olive tapenade baguette which is good.

I am veggie not vegan but hate mayo.

Goldcircle · 01/09/2023 19:43

Good coffee, decaf and vegan milk options. Gluten free offerings.

goingtotown · 01/09/2023 19:44

No dogs.

Katisha · 01/09/2023 19:44

To be open when I want tea and cake ie don't shut up shop halfway through the afternoon.
Who wants a cream tea at 2 in the afternoon?

Blossomandbee · 01/09/2023 19:45

I would prefer no dogs but if you do, then have strict rules and an area that is dog free for people with allergies. The options for people with dog allergies or who are nervous of dogs are getting smaller and smaller.
Straws that can be washed and re-used rather than paper ones that dissolve in the drink.

IHateWasps · 01/09/2023 19:45

Who wants a cream tea at 2 in the afternoon?

Me.

VillageLite · 01/09/2023 19:46

Personally I prefer fresh cream cakes, tea in a pot, and proper china cups.
Warm scones with unsalted butter, proper jam and clotted cream.

Carpets, soft, comfortable chairs, everything spotless.

Open after 5pm, when it is actually tea time!

I’m happy with a small selection, done well.

I hate UHT squirty cream and the fad for huge slabs of dry cake plastered in buttercream.

I hate drinking out of a jam jar or some grubby eco-friendly corn husk beaker.

I hate when staff come and squirt your table with strong cleaning solution, give it a desultory wipe-over and leave it still wet.

I hate my tea being brought out ten minutes before my food - I want to enjoy them together.

Hawkins0009 · 01/09/2023 19:47

Toilets
WiFi
Pot of Tea
Cakes at reasonable prices
Sandwiches eg Blt, Tuna Mayo etc
Cream buns for pudding
Table and chairs to sit at and use my tablet's and research
If it's nice weather , tables to sit outside

Chippy4me · 01/09/2023 19:48

IHateWasps · 01/09/2023 19:45

Who wants a cream tea at 2 in the afternoon?

Me.

Me too!

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/09/2023 19:49

Big teapots or mugs. None of these dainty tiny cups of tea that leave you thirsty.
Really nice proper cake.

Tables to be cleaned properly.
No music.
wifi if in an area of poor signal.

That's all I need from a tea shop.

I like dogs in tea shops. Or you could fill it with cats.

ThreeRingCircus · 01/09/2023 19:49

On vegetarian/vegan fillings a pet hate of mine is when the veggie option is vegan. I know places do it to keep costs down but I like cheese!

So things like sandwiches with cheese and chutney and also a vegan option. A café near me does hummus and roasted peppers, or avocado, black olive and sweet chilli sauce.

Englishrosegarden · 01/09/2023 19:52

Hello OP. I run a tearoom in a tourist area - here's some of the stuff we have learned:

For all those saying stay open later - it's just not cost effective to do so.
We used to open until 5:30. Now we close at 4. The amount of customers you get in that last hour and half you can count on one hand normally. When you add up staff costs, and the overheads for that hour and a half, you are making a loss almost every day.

We have many teas and hot chocolate options and just one good locally roasted coffee. If you are precious about coffee, use a coffee shop, don't come in a teashop and then moan about the coffee...
Unfortunately we have to do the banging thing on the coffee machine.

We do offer a small selection of GF cake but it's not possible (or cost effective) to offer a full GF kitchen.
A lot of the vegan/gf/diabetic/dairy free stuff that people have mentioned is just not possible, there is just so much wastage as the overwhelmingly vast majority of customers won't want it. We know this, we have tried it.

We have loads of different milks. Oat milk sells well.

We offer locally made cakes, scones, teacakes, tarts, traybakes etc. Lunches are jacket potatoes, toasties or sandwiches with small side salad. We have tried lots of other options in the past, but these sell the best for us. We do children's sandwiches on request and have fruit juice and soft drinks available.
We have a couple of wipeable IKEA high chairs.

Tablecloths/linen napkins/soft furnishings are horrible, they get dirty quickly, need a lot of cleaning, not worth it.

Children's toys - just no, difficult to keep clean and the kids run around and upset other customers.

People steal stuff, and break stuff, so don't spend a huge amount on posh crockery and cutlery as you will be constantly replacing it. The mismatched look is nice but a lot of it won't be dishwasher safe. You need hardwearing stuff that will stand being bumped around and put though the dishwasher several times an hour.

We are dog friendly on our covered outside terrace and have outside water bowls and puppuccinos.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions I haven't covered.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/09/2023 19:55

OhYouBadBadKitten · 01/09/2023 19:49

Big teapots or mugs. None of these dainty tiny cups of tea that leave you thirsty.
Really nice proper cake.

Tables to be cleaned properly.
No music.
wifi if in an area of poor signal.

That's all I need from a tea shop.

I like dogs in tea shops. Or you could fill it with cats.

oh I forgot, a selection of different teas too please. If you are a tea shop, then many different teas. No coffee. People can go to a coffee shop for that.

Ayrayeaye · 01/09/2023 19:55

Whoever said real plants - YES!!!

Hard yes. Would love a tea room festooned with plants

Ayrayeaye · 01/09/2023 19:56

PaperNests · 01/09/2023 19:07

Ooh sounds lovely, good luck! My ideal cafe would have:
-friendly smiley staff that make me feel welcome and seem to be enjoying their job.

a choice of loose tea
selection of homemade cakes that changes regularly including proper cream teas.
open at least at lunch and tea time 10am to 7pm would be perfect.

-At least have your opening times accurately online and don't randomly change them. If I ever walk to a cafe to find it shut early despite advertising opening later I don't go back again. (unless there's a note on the door to say theres been an emergency or similar). This has happened to me an annoyingly large number of times. -a play corner for small children. It makes it much more relaxing with my own kids and if I'm not with my kids it means other people's kids are playing not screaming and trying to grab the teapots. -a big walkway and comfy seats with lots of space between them. -really clear price list, ideally online too so I can check in advance it won't break the budget if the kids want a cake with their drink. -lots of space around the till so I'm not awkwardly bumping into people eating while I'm trying to queue. -takes contactless payments!

I went to a cat cafe recently that was my dream cafe. The staff seemed genuinely happy to work there and excited to introduce the cats to someone new. They had a menu of different quality loose teas. Gorgeous homemade cakes and a range of Korean noodle pots, but no other food so they weren't rushing about making different dishes and there was no queue. Menu, prices and details were all online so I could check it all in advance.The chairs were armchairs around the room with a huge amount of space around each one. Really peaceful and calm. There were gorgeous cats (and no dogs or children allowed!) If I lived closer I'd be in there every day.

Need to know where the fabulous cat cafe is!!!!

Original poster

littleteapotandcake · 01/09/2023 20:01

Englishrosegarden · 01/09/2023 19:52

Hello OP. I run a tearoom in a tourist area - here's some of the stuff we have learned:

For all those saying stay open later - it's just not cost effective to do so.
We used to open until 5:30. Now we close at 4. The amount of customers you get in that last hour and half you can count on one hand normally. When you add up staff costs, and the overheads for that hour and a half, you are making a loss almost every day.

We have many teas and hot chocolate options and just one good locally roasted coffee. If you are precious about coffee, use a coffee shop, don't come in a teashop and then moan about the coffee...
Unfortunately we have to do the banging thing on the coffee machine.

We do offer a small selection of GF cake but it's not possible (or cost effective) to offer a full GF kitchen.
A lot of the vegan/gf/diabetic/dairy free stuff that people have mentioned is just not possible, there is just so much wastage as the overwhelmingly vast majority of customers won't want it. We know this, we have tried it.

We have loads of different milks. Oat milk sells well.

We offer locally made cakes, scones, teacakes, tarts, traybakes etc. Lunches are jacket potatoes, toasties or sandwiches with small side salad. We have tried lots of other options in the past, but these sell the best for us. We do children's sandwiches on request and have fruit juice and soft drinks available.
We have a couple of wipeable IKEA high chairs.

Tablecloths/linen napkins/soft furnishings are horrible, they get dirty quickly, need a lot of cleaning, not worth it.

Children's toys - just no, difficult to keep clean and the kids run around and upset other customers.

People steal stuff, and break stuff, so don't spend a huge amount on posh crockery and cutlery as you will be constantly replacing it. The mismatched look is nice but a lot of it won't be dishwasher safe. You need hardwearing stuff that will stand being bumped around and put though the dishwasher several times an hour.

We are dog friendly on our covered outside terrace and have outside water bowls and puppuccinos.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions I haven't covered.

Amazing advice, thank you 😊

OP posts:

PollyCreo · 01/09/2023 20:03

No WiFi or man-bunned gobshites having loud meetings on their laptops/iPads.

Cupcakes with thick frosting and a selection of brownies.

MaybeanothertimeNotReally · 01/09/2023 20:07

Englishrosegarden · 01/09/2023 19:52

Hello OP. I run a tearoom in a tourist area - here's some of the stuff we have learned:

For all those saying stay open later - it's just not cost effective to do so.
We used to open until 5:30. Now we close at 4. The amount of customers you get in that last hour and half you can count on one hand normally. When you add up staff costs, and the overheads for that hour and a half, you are making a loss almost every day.

We have many teas and hot chocolate options and just one good locally roasted coffee. If you are precious about coffee, use a coffee shop, don't come in a teashop and then moan about the coffee...
Unfortunately we have to do the banging thing on the coffee machine.

We do offer a small selection of GF cake but it's not possible (or cost effective) to offer a full GF kitchen.
A lot of the vegan/gf/diabetic/dairy free stuff that people have mentioned is just not possible, there is just so much wastage as the overwhelmingly vast majority of customers won't want it. We know this, we have tried it.

We have loads of different milks. Oat milk sells well.

We offer locally made cakes, scones, teacakes, tarts, traybakes etc. Lunches are jacket potatoes, toasties or sandwiches with small side salad. We have tried lots of other options in the past, but these sell the best for us. We do children's sandwiches on request and have fruit juice and soft drinks available.
We have a couple of wipeable IKEA high chairs.

Tablecloths/linen napkins/soft furnishings are horrible, they get dirty quickly, need a lot of cleaning, not worth it.

Children's toys - just no, difficult to keep clean and the kids run around and upset other customers.

People steal stuff, and break stuff, so don't spend a huge amount on posh crockery and cutlery as you will be constantly replacing it. The mismatched look is nice but a lot of it won't be dishwasher safe. You need hardwearing stuff that will stand being bumped around and put though the dishwasher several times an hour.

We are dog friendly on our covered outside terrace and have outside water bowls and puppuccinos.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions I haven't covered.

@Englishrosegarden I don't understand closing early during high season. As I said earlier, I had to traipse around 4 teashops in in Llanberis before I could find somewhere to eat breakfast at 9am. It's mad and then there were loads of people at 4pm gasping for a cuppa with nowhere to go. There clearly was a demand but nobody wanted our money!

bryceQ · 01/09/2023 20:10

Really nice scones is the most important to me.

Homemade cake that's delicious

I'd probably only ever order tea and scones or tea and cake so I wouldn't bother with other food. I don't mean you shouldn't bother i just mean I couldn't comment on

Cosy ambiance

Lovely friendly staff

What do you want from a teashop?

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