AIBU to expect cafés to stay open after 4pm?

I’ve experienced the same. One small town closed everything by 3pm and it was a bank holiday weekend. THere were 3 cafes but none were able to offer us tea and cake after 3pm. We love walking holidays in the UK so the tea and cake is what we look forward to after a day’s walking I’m sure it must be for financial reasons, having read your comments. Such a shame.

M0nica

If cafes could do enough business after 4.00pm, then they would stay open.

Many cafes also open quite early in the morning, some as early as 7.00am to do breakfasts. It can be a long day and they need at least an hour after shut down to clean up and make sure there cleanliness etc adheres to the highest standards.

Many cafes are run by couples or families, often without extra staff, or a few waitresses at busiest times.

If you want tea or coffee all hours go to a Starbucks or Costa Coffee or Cafe nero.

Our local Costa isn't always open either when I pick my granddaughter up. I think it may depend on whether they have the staff, they do open very early. Even if I catch them open they often have very little left to eat.

A lot of cafes round her don't seem to be open even until 4, even the coffee shops. It's a shame, I'd love to take my granddaughter out for a snack but now I buy something from the supermarket instead.

The two in our village close at 3pm! Which I think is unreasonable. A friend and I would have a class that finished at 2.30pm - we were turned away from both cafes (both seconds walk away),because "we close at 3" .....

all the Cafés in our Midlands market town stay open until 5 or 6 pm

Or even The Midland!!

Love the Mudland, PamelaJ1

Many hotels and tea rooms here in Essex serve afternoon tea, usually from 2pm - 5pm as do most decent hotels in London.

BlueBelle

I think the days of afternoon teatime are long gone LLFL

Not at the Midland hotel in Morecambe, we were there on Thursday and a very steady stream of delectables found very happy diners.

I have often wondered why when English afternoon tea is traditionally 4pm the cafés close at that very moment.
Even in cities there is a dead time between cafes closing and restaurants opening.
I found a cafe in Edinburgh's, Stockbridge (not Costa or Starbucks) where a lovely lady served me tea and a hotdog at 5.30pm recently.

Bing on my own on and off I have so often wished for what they have on the continent - the evening local cafe.bar where its OK as a single woman to go in an sit and have a coffee etc and it be OK. Even in a city costa etc stop at 6pm, tho city centre cafe/bars are around they are really for the young and not the single really.

I know this is not strictly on topic, just wish, is all.....

Paying staff and running costs to stay open for the odd cup of tea does not make business sense.

I think that venues in tourist areas are missing a trick. There's custom to be had but maybe they make enough to not bother?

Just returned from keswick. We tried to eat after 8.30 in most of the restaurant stopped serving. Also local fish n. CHip shop closed. We had to get a takeaway . Funny though it was a Saturday night.

I think this habit of closing early applies to pubs too. My DD lives in a popular town in an area that is frequented by lots of tourists. One of the best cafes to lunch in is not privately owned it serves not just tourists but the locals. It is always busy and often runs out of food just half hour after opening even in the winter.

A notice was put up recently stating they are only opening three days a week now. The money they will lose will be significant the tourists and locals who go there will be disappointed. My daughter asked why they changed their hours when it such a popular place she was told they won’t employ more staff !

Where we live two pubs have been totally refurbished to everyone’s delight initially. Both are very popular and service a large area but stop serving food early evening and close completely by 9 pm. What ever happened to going to the local pub for a quiet drink yet clubs in city centres are open 24/7 ?

If you want tea or coffee all hours go to a Starbucks or Costa Coffee or Cafe nero.

And if you look at them, they are not usually busy after 4-ish.
So I guess it just isn't profitable for a small business to do.

Is there a chip shop with a seating area? Not quite the same, I know, but can be better than nothing.

I don't think we have that cafe culture mainland Europe enjoys, sometimes that is down to the fact they have more of a split day than we do here, siesta in the afternoon when it's a bit of a dead time but come late afternoon onwards it's all go again. I think it's quite usual for the cafe day to finish around 4ish here, it's a shame really, but as others have said it does take a lot of work to run such a business.

I know why they close... but it IS exactly when I'd like afternoon tea!

I agree 4 o clock is reasonable especially as some start at 7.30 where I live, they catch the commuter trade.

I think that, as others have said, a lot of work goes into running a cafe. Not only do they have to clean up after everyone has left, if they sell home made cakes etc that’s probably when they start making them ready to sell the next day. So it’s a long day, and they have homes and probably families to look after too.

If it paid them to stay open, they would. It obviously doesn't. Cafes and restaurants are already struggling with supplier, wages and other overheads costs, not least of which is the massive hike in the cost of energy, which has been the last straw for some. Once late lunches are out of the way, it's hardly worth staying open for the odd cup of coffee.

I frequently stay at a small hotel in Dorset. They have always done bed and breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. During my most recent visit I was speaking with the proprietor. He said he has stopped serving afternoon tea as there was no longer any profit in it.
They stop serving once the lunches are over. The proprietor broke down the figures involved, staff wages etc. and I could clearly see his point of view in closing earlier.

If cafes could do enough business after 4.00pm, then they would stay open.

Many cafes also open quite early in the morning, some as early as 7.00am to do breakfasts. It can be a long day and they need at least an hour after shut down to clean up and make sure there cleanliness etc adheres to the highest standards.

Many cafes are run by couples or families, often without extra staff, or a few waitresses at busiest times.

If you want tea or coffee all hours go to a Starbucks or Costa Coffee or Cafe nero.

BlueBelle

I know the one I often go to clears up by 4 and the lady that runs it doesn’t have children and most of the staff are teenagers
I guess with an hour clearing up that is a 9 to 5 day, then the pub grubs take over
They do do lovely cakes and scones but think they are bought at all times of the day

Might be an 8am start BlueBelle if they bake and other prep before opening, so a longer day which I think is enough.

The business is doing what profits the business.