What do you want from a teashop?

[littleteapotandcake]

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

This exactly. Almost everywhere is dog friendly these days.

I think this thread just goes to show you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Clean but not sterile, friendly towards customers but not intrusive, pretty china not necessarily matching, big choice of cakes, creamy hot chocolates in different flavours, a loyalty card with 11th drink free. Outside space would be nice.

Comfortable chairs. More in the style of armchairs than chairs you'd sit at a table on.

A choice of coffee bean, even if between two. A choice for black coffee that isn't just espresso or Americano. Espresso is tiny, so it's not a good drink for sitting with a cake, but Americano is usually very weak. Something like a long black or the German caffe creme. Be clear how many shots go into the black coffee and give the option of paying for an extra shot.

Like with the tea above, coffee in a pot (usually 1.5x cup) that you can pour into a cup is a much nicer than just coffee in a cup.

Hot chocolate that's a thick, melted chocolate, not cocoa powder.

A toilet!

It’s all about the quality of the food and the tea or coffee. I live in Ireland and a family member works in a renowned tea shop in a small seaside town. The food is amazing - all home made cakes, scones, and home made lunch items like quiche; Mexican eggs; soup with brown bread.
Try for fresh local produce and work with local farms/ small businesses.

Add in good coffee and tea in a proper pot, clean loos, and friendly staff.

I have visited tea shops all over the country in the past few years and the successful ones all gave the above in common.

For me, welcoming dogs is also great - but it may not suit your customer base.

Tea and coffee shops have upped their game immensely in Ireland in the past decade, and the best ones focus on great local food. If you don’t have that, I wouldn’t return, no matter how great the kids play area.

warm! I’ve lost count of cafes I’ve been to that are freezing, it really ruins it.

Proper hot chocolate made with chocolate and not powder.

Homemade cakes

Good coffee with cream available, nice china mugs, good loos that aren’t freezing, no dogs inside (allergies), lovely big scones and a selection of cakes. Comfy chairs. Good luck!

Charging ports for laptops

Tablecloth's and carpets.

They soften the racket so autistic people can cope.

Lady Grey tea.

Not having one of those coffee machines that you have to bang every time you make a coffee.

Do not do table service if you don't have the staff.

I too was going to suggest dog friendly, but this can be just for the outdoor tables. I realise people have allergies and don't want hair/drool etc inside a shop

Decent coffee

Healthier salad/sandwich/cake options- options for sandwiches without butter for example

Comfortable seat. Hard, wooden chairs can get uncomfortable very quickly. Stable tables which don't wobble!

I don't mind mismatched crockery, but I hate it when the other person ends up with a larger mug than me when paying the same price! 😡

Lots of space between the tables, and a good variety of fresh cakes. China. Newspapers.

No background music.

Dog friendly

Consider a pram bollard

No high stools - they play havoc with my back and I struggle to get on them

DO NOT WARM THE SCONES. This is my absolute biggest bugbear in cafes - I know and the cafe owner knows it’s to try and disguise the fact they’re no longer fresh. Melted butter on microwaved scones 🤮😡 (I feel v strongly about this!)

Buy enough cakes etc - if you’re open till 5 then if I go in at 4 I expect more than a bit of shortbread and a sorry looking donut to choose from.

Fill the cups nearly to the top - not two thirds up, that’s just cheapskatery

Don’t charge extra for butter, jam, sauces etc - ditto

Have a good selection of homemade cakes, scones etc - not mass produced stuff. Find a local baker who can supply you.

Gluten free and meat free options

Dog friendly

I could go on and on…! Good luck - opening a cafe is a dream of mine 😊

Dogs allowed
Fresh baked scones
Panini's/toasties
Afternoon tea
Good coffee
Modern
Comfortable seating
Spotlessly clean
Toy and book corner

Lots of great ideas, thank you.
I see the dog issue is a big one and has divided us! There are a couple of tables outside to cater for dog walkers but I was thinking of having just one area inside where dogs could be.

To be open at teatime ie 4pm. I'm constantly amazed at tea shops that close at 3pm.

Other than that:

Cheese scones with cream cheese and relish/chutney
Warm sausage rolls / veggie option
Maybe a 'gentleman's tea' ie savoury not sweet.
Choice of teapots for one and for two so the table doesn't get cluttered.
Earl grey.
Decent but not huge slices of cake.
More cake, less buttercream.
And please ensure cake is moist. Nothing worse than trying to plough through a massive dry slab.
Offer glasses of tap water (see above, and also it's nice to slake your thirst before enjoying the tea).
Clean clean clean!
Vases of fresh flowers
Crockery items for sale if you go for vintage china. A local cafe has quirky salt and pepper pots and the owner might let you swap if you bring in an equally quirky set.
Comfortable chairs at a proper height.
IKEA high chairs on request (ie scrubbable!)

Comfortable chairs that don't seem to have been pulled out of a skip, and tables that aren't sticky (a rare find, these days).

Enough space between the tables for fat people like me (or pregnant women, or people with mobility issues) to be able to get in and out without having to ask people to move.

Vintage teacups, not those thick white ones cafes use that invariably end up looking filthy.

Proper tea. Nice coffee. Homemade cake. I know the fashion is for gigantic slices of cakes, slathered in buttercream, but I would quite like to go somewhere that serves a 1970s-sized slice from a 1970s-sized cake. (I have a 1970s cookbook and the ingredients for a Victoria sponge are exactly half the quantities recommended in my more modern baking books.) I'd also like toasted teacakes, crumpets and fresh scones on the menu - I would rather these than those enormous slabs of brownies stuck all over with Lotus biscuits and all that which are currently the rage.

Sandwiches made to order would be lovely, with a few straightforward fillings like egg and cress or ham salad.

I have a hankering this afternoon for simpler times!

Proper builders tea but served in a teapot and lovely (thin rimmed) china mug or teacup. Pot of hot water to top up teapot.

Homemade cakes

Good lunch selection (soup, toasties etc)

Clean loo

Soft furnishings to damp the noise (particularly of the incessant banging of an espresso machine!)

No music!!!

Agree with being scrupulous on cleanliness of floor and tables

Clean toilets.
Clean crockery not stained.
Home made cakes, with big slices.
Nice sandwiches, baked potatoes and paninis, keep it simple.
Tables cleared regularly.

Proper chairs & tables. I hate sitting on a low coach with some sort of low coffee table and trying to eat or drink anything. It's uncomfortable, hard to not spill anything & difficult to get up out of as it's so low.

I think as long as you allow dogs and don't allow dogs you'll be fine 😂

Some background music or the radio on, and ideally happy staff chatting away as they work. I can’t bear a silent cafe!

Disabled access toilet. A basic one is quite understandable. If you have lots of room you can apply for grants for a changing places toilet and the disabled community will come flocking to you from miles!

Evening hours. I don’t want to go to a pub. I would love to hang out, drink a hot drink and eat cake in the evening. Some European countries offer this but not here.

Open between 3 and 6pm ie tea time! We’ve often been gasping for a cuppa before driving home from somewhere but places have closed at 4. Surely there is a demand for teatime tea?!

Separate area for dogs & owners

Quiet corner for adults only

Teapots that don't leak

No plastic or disposable items - proper spoons instead of wooden stirrers etc

Free help yourself water with glasses

Coffee that is strong enough and doesn’t taste of piss (looking at you, Starbucks)

Freshly baked pastries eg cinnamon buns, almond croissants. Mini ones that aren’t massive would be good

Hummus and crudités would be fab

Low level cafe vibe toons instrumental stuff, chill etc

Would happily pay over the odds for all the above

Personally for me dog friendly is a definite bonus. I never take my dogs out to cafes because they wouldn't enjoy it but I love seeing other people's dogs. It gives me a positive impression of the cafe/tea shop. You'll never please everyone regardless as you can see from this thread, You'll know what works best in your area. In some places not allowing dogs will cost you money. In others it may be vice versa.

Large pieces of cake please. No tiddly bits.

I like some fancier fillings for sandwiches/wraps besides the usual cheese/cheese and ham. Although you can't beat a good egg sandwich imo it's nice to offer something more interesting.

Cleanliness is the most important. I went to a teashop recently and the scones and cake were amazing but the kitchen area(As I later found out) looked dirty and untidy. The toilet was dirty and badly maintained too. Even if the meal was great dirty loos will leave me with a bad impression.

Good luck with your new venture.