Help Our Hospitality: ‘We don’t know if we would’ve survived if we were a regular business without support’

The retail manager of a Northampton cafe, which offers vital experiences to young adults with special educational needs (SEN), has shared the reality of operating at a tough time for the hospitality industry.

The Place To Bee, in Harborough Road, is an inclusive cafe and old-fashioned sweetshop – associated with Northgate School Arts College and The Beehive.

Students are given the opportunity to learn skills in a small business environment, which stands them in good stead for voluntary and paid work in the future.

Trudi Daurie, the retail manager, said: “This is an amazing venue which provides young people the opportunity to experience what the catering industry is like.

“We work from the ground up, and they help with preparing food, creating menus and serving customers.”

This venture first began at the end of 2019 but has only properly been operating for around two years because of the pandemic restrictions.

When asked how they have fared at what is a difficult time for the hospitality industry, Trudi said: “We adjust our menu regularly and we’ve had to put prices up.

“But we’ve been mindful and it hasn’t been by much. We hope people understand we have to cover our costs.”

Where the business previously bought most of its stock from wholesalers, Trudi says there has been a noticeable price increase and they have made the shift to shop local for the majority of their produce.

“We hold our own,” said Trudi. “We are very lucky that we’ve had support in raising money for the business, from The Goed Life, the Bernard Sunley Trust, and The Wilson Foundation.

“We don’t know if we would have survived the pandemic if we were a normal business.”

With a retro sweet shop as part of The Place To Bee’s offering, they are subject to sugar tax and have also had to raise sweet prices for the first time since they opened.

As an important aspect of the Kingsthorpe community, Trudi says the cafe is “never sitting empty” and has steady footfall, particularly on Monday which is the busiest day of the week.

“We need people to come and see the amazing work we do,” said Trudi. “We need to band together through the peaks and troughs of any business.

“This is a place to get out there, network and make friends with our students in our safe space.

“Many people love the community environment and our ethos, and it’s nice to see the same regulars coming back.”

After taking bronze place in the ‘community cafe of the year’ category at last year’s Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards, the cafe’s profile has been raised and they have seen many new faces.

For those who may not be able to afford to spend money at The Place To Bee at the moment, there is a donation space for books – which are given to Northgate School.

The venue also supports a number of local businesses, including bread from The Good Loaf, pickles from Friars Farm, and Jute Coffee trains their students to be baristas.

To keep up to date with The Place To Bee, check out their Facebook page here.