Small Business Saturday Blog

Originally part of the Gwrych Castle estate and gardens, it’s been passed between just three different families since the 1950s, before ending up in the care of Kieren Brownhill’s family for around 17 years. Little had changed at the cafe over the years until Kieren returned from four years of living abroad in South East Asia and decided to shake things up with a total rebrand, starting with the menu.

Kieren says: “It was such a big change for us when we tried to go healthy. We had always been a greasy spoon café, so we actually lost our entire customer base at the start and we basically got boycotted by most of the town, even though we were going to be more environmentally friendly and would be making healthy food. We had to go through a three to four-month period of that, but we just kept advertising and slowly but surely it took off and we’ve been busier than ever.”

He adds: “Our philosophy is pretty simple: we love good food and love to share those great experiences with people. We source produce that’s organic, in season and always fresh. There’s something for everyone and we want everyone to enjoy it here.”

It’s an approach which has won them rave reviews and the Best of North Wales award at the Welsh Cafe Awards 2019.

The rebrand went on to include a new aesthetic, a new head chef, Simon Roberts, extended opening hours, more staff, and a brand new special evening menu.

Kieren also wanted a more modern payments system and when comparing a few different card machines came across Square. Kieren says: “The table mapping is a huge help, especially the colour coding. We’ve had quite a lot of new staff come in, and it’s really helped them to keep track of who’s in the restaurant and how long they’ve been there for and which tables are coming up free. To get all those features in a POS system has just been fantastic.”

One thing that won’t change, however, is the cafe’s commitment to a sustainable operation by supporting local British farmers and expanding their own home-grown offering: they already have an abundance of apple, pear, and cherry trees in the Roots Café garden, and are working on building their own polytunnel to grow even more fresh fruit and vegetables. Kieren says: “That’s the big thing for us, local suppliers. Sourcing our produce locally is fresher, healthier and keeps the money in the community.”