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The general manager of a popular cheese and wine bar in Northampton says the price of their best selling product has gone “through the roof”.

John Franklin’s, in Guildhall Road, is proud to serve locally roasted coffee and carefully crafted cocktails – alongside running an in-house bakery.

Though the venue is known for its cheese and wine in particular, they have expanded their offering since opening in 2016 to keep customers coming back for more.

John Franklin's first opened in Guildhall Road in 2016.

Speaking to Chronicle & Echo for this week’s Help Our Hospitality campaign coverage, general manager Owen Makin said: “We’re in the same boat as everyone else.

“The cost of stock has gone up, especially cheese which has gone through the roof.

“With it being more expensive for breweries to make beer, it’s now more expensive for us to buy it and all our bills have gone up.

“Everything goes hand in hand.”

The cheese and wine bar is proud to serve locally roasted coffee and carefully crafted cocktails – alongside running an in-house bakery.

Owen has been the general manager at John Franklin’s for the past five years and has worked for the venue for more than six – which is just under half of the total time he has worked in the hospitality industry.

He shared that the restaurant and bar has developed a good base of regular customers and they benefit from the footfall from those going to watch performances at the Royal & Derngate.

“An elegant cheese and wine bar was a new concept when we first opened,” said Owen.

As more competitors have cropped up over the past seven years, John Franklin’s has added pizza to its menu – and Owen says this evolution was needed to prevent business from going “stale”.

Pizza was added to the menu last year to keep things fresh for customers, as many competitors have popped up over the past seven years.

When asked what message he would like to send about the importance of supporting the hospitality industry, the general manager said: “We know customers are struggling too, but show your faces if you can.

“Leave positive reviews online and like, comment and share on social media.”

He says small gestures, like recommending venues through word of mouth, add up and mean a lot to independent businesses.

One event the venue looks forward to hosting on June 28 is a ‘British Blooms & Cocktails’ evening, in collaboration with Claire Moch from Florry Florals.

Help Our Hospitality: Popular cheese and wine bar says price of best seller has gone ‘through the roof’

To keep up to date with John Franklin’s and its upcoming events, check out their Facebook page here.