My favourite local cafes during lockdown 🍴💂🏼‍♀️🔒

In this current lockdown situation I have come to appreciate the few local businesses that have decided to stay open, despite the restrictions on their operations because of the pandemic. Gradually, businesses in the hospitality sector will be allowed to reopen soon in the UK but only a small percentage managed to stay open during this latest lockdown and this blogpost wants to pay tribute to their bravery and entrepreneurship during such difficult times.

Apart from chain stores, local cafes have been struggling the most to keep their stores open with takeaway services- I still managed to get some warm lunches or my choice of cold sandwiches only from a handful of cafes, among them the Art Cafe, which equipped themselves with food boxes and plastic cups for lunch takeaways. One new cafe sprouted bravely on Bermondsey Street just a few days ago as a witness of a determination to develop new business opportunities. The new cafe is appropriately called Deuce Rebellion.

Juice bars probably are the ones which needed less adaptations to maintain their doors open, as most of their business was based already on takeaway services. My favourite local juice bar had relocated to a new store just before the lockdown and seemed to thrive with passing trade. On the other hand, chains like Crussh, decided to close their stores and wait for better times to get back to business, Joe & the Juice strengthened its presence with a better app for purchasing their products before entering the shop or for home delivery.

Typically British outlets for takeaway food the local Fish & chips shops have managed to maintain their doors open with very few modifications to their way of delivering products to their regular clientele, Just minor changes for contactless payments and to avoid crowding in the store meant they were ready to keep their chippy on the road.

Almost untouched by the crisis are chain stores for coffee shops and sandwich bars. My usual brands for cappuccino and toasted sandwiches are a viable all across London without much troubles, apart from more regulated queues and huge plastic screens between customers and store staff. Brand apps and loyalty cards maintain a regular relationship with customers, which are invited to keep buying from these chain stores, probably to the detriment of local shops with weaker marketing power. He main difference for me was that instead of sitting at the comfortable tables inside the store I had to adapt to a bench in the park. Not too bad for this mild spring blossoming in London,