Forging the Cafe of the Future

The Forge in Shoreditch is a really interesting example of a cafe that has come of age and includes all the options - coworking space, cafe, lounge, canteen, art gallery, wi-fi, good coffee, juices, beer (from the on-display tanks), wines and cocktails.

 Expect to see more cafes blur the boundaries with pubs, restaurants and social spaces.

Pretzel Boom

 Pretzel and peanut butter brownies from The Brownie Bar www.browniebar.co.uk

Pretzel eye-level display at Kamps, the German baker, at High St Kensington tube.

Clerkenwell Buns

 Peanut and Chocolate Clerkenwell (not Chelsea) Bun at Granger & Co's new Clerkenwell cafe outpost.  Delicious and made fresh that day.

Happy for a Week

 Starbuck's Happy Hour - two hours for a week with a Frappucino.

Free Treats

Dogs and their owners really can increase your trade.  Large sign outside Wallingford eatery.

Wash N Wag

The Beach Cafe at Wells-next-the-Sea does it again with their appeal to dog owners.  This is their new self service dog wash for sand and seawater-soaked mutts.  9 million dog owners are a serious market to attract to your cafe.

Sweet Wrap

M&S introduces sweet wraps

Cappucino Costs

Allegra's calculation of coffee costs and profit as reported in The Times

Clerkenwell Cake

Granger & Co's new second outlet in Clerkenwell.  Check out the menus:

Barefoot in Oxford

 Barefoot Bookstore in Oxford has their Storytellers Cafe

 Winner of Junior Magazine's Best Family Restaurant Award in 2013 - see
http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk/food-and-dining-awards/best-family-restaurant-2013-winner-barefoot-books-storytellers-cafe/16065.html

The Year of the Bun

 Buns are in at Gail's - Cinnamon, Cardamom, Chelsea, Soho (cream bun packed with chocolate chips), Chocolate & Hazelnut and Sour Cherry & Pistachio

Basket Case!

Frisbee Golf at Craigie's Cafe in Edinburgh - an inexpensive child attraction. 

Marmalade Brownies

Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall and their orange marmalade brownies.

Target Your Advertising

To celebrate getting to 1,000 blog posts over three years and our wonderful readership of  professional cafe operators Great Cafes is trialling some (limited) advertising.  If you have a product - cake, cold drink, equipment for instance - target your advertising by using Google Adwords and specifying the Great Cafes Blog.

Canine Cafe

Craigie's Cafe keeps the canines and their owners happy in a separate outdoor section.

Make Your Own Waffles

Make your own waffles at Cornwall's Watergate Bay hotel breakfast buffet plus step by step guide on the menu.  The kids adored it. Machine and mixture from The Malted Waffle Company www.waffles.co.uk

Get Comfy

Craigie's Farm Deli and Cafe in Edinburgh reminds customers that their picnic benches are not for picnickers.

Tell Us, Not Tripadvisor

At Hubbox in Exeter and the handmade by human food was excellent.

We're Awesome

The Vape Lab E Cigarette & Coffee Shop in Shoreditch - an interesting combination.

Bitcoin accepted!

Yesterday's Goods

Chough Bakery in Padstow reinforces the message that today's baked goods are truly fresh.

Mackerel Burger

Great burger and hot dog outlet in an Exeter retail unit with container kitchen

Mack Daddy mackerel burger was good

Great signage and theming

Best When Chilled (as indeed we all are)

Chilled Summer soups - Gazpacho and Pea & Mint - from Pret.

No Button Pushers

There will always be a debate about the pros and cons of automatic bean-to-cup coffee machines and their barista-operated semi-automatic cousins.  Benugo believe in baristas, not button pushers, as their coffee cup sleeve proudly promotes.