Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Cafe Lemon is coming to an end
It has been over nine years since Cafe Lemon opened in 2006, which was also exactly 100 years after the same premises were established as a Lipton Tea House in 1906!
We pride ourselves in having been the first ones to bring a modern Cafe culture in Harringay and we still endeavour to provide good service and high quality food to our customers. Only in the last two months we added organic, fair-trade and free range products to our menu and a couple of weeks ago we introduced discounts for students.
Unfortunately, however, high rent, forbidding business rates and ongoing daily costs are forcing us us to consider selling to very eager buyers from the kebab restaurant business, which one of them is already in Kebab business in Stoke Newington.
While often being busy at weekends, the lack of offices in the area deprive us of the regular customer basis of weekday, lunch-break customers. Add to that Harringey’s £3 per hour parking charges, plus the more-than-occasional rainy day and our income just isn’t enough to support us into the future.
Sadly, with my business partner we came to the conclusion to keep Cafe Lemon going for at most another 5 months. During this time we will continue to do our best to improve food quality and service. If, however, by around April 2016, we will still be struggling to pay our bills, the Cafe will have to be sold and turned into yet another kebab house.
Please help us to stay alive and remain part of the Green Lanes vibrant catering community!
Tags for Forum Posts: cafe lemon
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Lipton tea house in 1906.jpg, 380 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cem Kaplan ( Cafe Lemon ) on
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Thank you, I am doing my best to keep the Cafe, but with £1000 a month business rates we can't handle anymore. and top of that £375 a month waste collection
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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You must have a lot of waste to be paying that much. That would be about ten bags a day right? Can you cut your waste at all? Recycle more?
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Permalink Reply by Haringey Cat on
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It would be a sad loss to the area! I will definitely arrange more weekday lunch visits to the cafe. Also, how do you guys feel about having students/freelancers quietly working at a table in the cafe while drinking coffees, maybe having lunch? Obviously the spend wouldn't be much but I know one or two people who would benefit from having a place to work and it would add a little to your takings.
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Thank you for your kind support ,
we also offer %30 discount on any food for University Students ( Monday-Friday).
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That's great! I am determined to get people behind the Cafe. People power!
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Is there free WiFi?
Unfortunately my job doesn't permit me to work from home very often. But other cafes like Blend are quite busy on weekdays, though there's a but of a contrast between people with laptops and people with buggies.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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I'd really, really hate to see Lemon go. I know I don't go in there as often as I used to but will try more.
I don't think the £3 parking charges are putting people off, this is evidenced by the fact that there are hardly any free parks on Green Lanes. Perhaps you could ask for more parking but I don't think you're attracting customers from so far away that they need to drive. If I cycle there my nearest cycle parking is outside Disney's on Chesterfield Gardens, or I can use the sign outside if it's not already taken.
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Permalink Reply by Pembysingsong on
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Nooooo!!! I'm going to start trying to go more than usual and encourage friends to as well. I hope it helps. Such a lovely cafe and so well-established on Green Lanes. I am gutted :-(
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Cafe Lemon is great and would be a sad loss. We have a chance to turn this around! Not to mention the fact that the more original local businesses we lose, the more "gentrification" which will in turn raise house and rent prices and we will eventually be priced out of the area.
Let's get behind Cafe Lemon!
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