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 Lauren on
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Hello Cem, please don't close down. We don't want another kebab restaurant, there are too many already.
Might I suggest a few things that would help improve custom?
Stop being stingy with teabags. We recently ordered tea for two which came in a nice big pot. Pot was half full of water and had only one tea bag. Tea costs you very little and if you rip people off like this it makes them think you are cutting corners elsewhere. Be generous with tea and offer free hot water top ups don't make customers feel like criminals for asking.
Make your cafe look more contemporary and welcoming. It's a bit overcrowded and old fashioned/cluttered. Blend and Moka have got this right. I'm not saying do what they do, but what they do is good.
Your staff often look down and have an air of negativity about them. This could be your anxiety about your failing business transferring into them. Have team meetings, praise them, ask for suggestions. If they still look miserable get new staff.
The reason we stopped coming in so much is that your prices are quite high for cheap quality of ingredients used. Especially breakfasts. Your sausages and bacon are rubbish and you have cheap generic ketchup. We'd rather pay more for better ingredients.
You have too much on your menu. Therefore you have to buy more stock, thus reducing your profit margin. Do fewer things and do them better.
i don't want to upset you here, but it's often very messy and sticky tables, menus etc. I've walked out a few times because I've been put off by how messy it is sometimes in there.
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Permalink Reply by claire taylor on
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Can I add one thing.....make your coffees bigger again!
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Permalink Reply by Haringey Cat on
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I've always loved the look of the Cafe and found the food to be great.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Agree, I love the way it looks. And he's always updating it. A few months ago I had lunch with my son in there while an artist painted the back wall!
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Very harsh Lauren, it would have upset me.
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I was being honest and constructive. I managed a (profitable and successful) hospitality business for ten years so I know what I'm talking about. There are reasons why they are struggling while other businesses in the street are doing well (I don't just mean the kebab factories) I've been going there since they opened and supported the previous place too, I would still go there but too many poor experiences, including one where we popped in on the way to Kew Gardens to order baguettes, including extra sundried tomatoes in one (in addition to the usual fillings) only to discover on our picnic that we had been given two plain dry baguettes, one of which had sundried tomatoes in and nothing else. As I say I didn't mean to upset him, sometimes the truth is not necessarily what people want to hear in situations like this. Hopefully he will look at it objectively rather than take offence.
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Permalink Reply by Cem Kaplan ( Cafe Lemon ) on
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Dear Lauren,
I am very sorry to hear about your previous experience with our Cafe. I can only apologise for what was unacceptably poor service.
May I kindly ask when this happened to you? I would like to investigate further.
Kind Regards
Cem
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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Tbh I'll only order tea in a cafe if it's proper, loose leaf tea. Free top ups essential because the second infusion is my favourite.
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This is a shame to hear Cem but you are right - it's clear from walking down Green Lanes in the daytime that things are quiet for cafes. I think Lauren's comments are a little harsh and would disagree with the quality of breakfast ingredients comment as the new free range ingredients are very good. However I agree that maybe if you are on a last ditch attempt to make it work then simplifying what you're offering and tailoring to different days or times of day is something to consider. Also I'm no expert from the business side but as a customer something still missing in the area is healthy lighter lunches and might encourage different people to actually head out for lunch. Good luck anyway!
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Permalink Reply by Judith Box on
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it would be sad to see Cafe Lemon go - and another kebab shop take its place!
I do think you are obviously both trying, and open to new ideas.
Considering all the wonderful ingredients available on Green Lanes - I'm always surprised that we don't have somewhere doing the Ottolenghi style salad bar. Mind you it has to be done right and made fresh everyday or it would just be awful. With an option for takeaway boxes. It would be lovely to be able to pick up a grilled aubergine, pomegranate and yogurt salad.... yum. Something beyond the tomato/red cabbage/cucumber salad!
This cafe in Muswell Hill has done really well - despite the fact its quite a long way from the main broadway. They have a clear idea of who they are and what their food is. And their cakes are just amazing!
http://www.chriskitch.com/#!chriskitch-menu/c24tf
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/23/chriskitch-rest...
http://nickygrace.co.uk/2013/02/06/wonderful-new-deli-and-cafe-in-m...
I'm not suggesting you do this - more that its a really good example of how something plays to its market and works, despite not being in an ideal trading position.
You also don't have very much on the menu for people with different dietary requirements - I had to stop coming to Cafe Lemon as often when my little boy was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergy - as there wasn't much he could eat beyond egg and chips. This is especially true given the rise in popularity of wheat free/low carb/paleo lifestyle choices among people who higher disposable incomes.
Amyway - just some thoughts for the pot! I wish you good luck and hope that things improve quickly.
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I agree it would be great if someone took the Turkish theme in that direction. I was in Eastbourne for the day recently and went to this place which just had about 5 main courses and 3 or 4 salads all out on display Ottolenghi style. It was veggie but wouldn't need to be.
http://misswallsbackgarden.com/
It was packed at lunchtime with couples and groups of women. A lot of places round here seem to have men as their main customers which is fine if it works for them, but I think there's another market out there.
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