Cambridge Cluster

Image via WikipediaYvonne and I took late morning tea at the well established Polly Tea Rooms of Marlborough and a glimpse of the “Ladies who lunch” as Polly’s went up a gear for the well-healed customer after noon.  Established in 1932, Polly Tea Rooms is reckoned to be one of the top places of its kind in the UK.  The tables were close together and the radiator leaked.  It was strange because you were given your bill and asked to pay at the cake stall at the entrance.  Some of the customers were very demanding but the soup was good.  It was busy so not the quietest place in town but the mobility scooter was safe outside.

Afternoon tea was taken, sounds posh!, at The Tart, Gloucester Road, Bristol.   Tart has been open for a few weeks and is run by Mother and Daughter, Jennie and Ellen.  Both have left the cosy world, in financial terms, of working for the public sector as social workers.  The website is called lovelytart.com and would have made a better name than Tart which is written in a strange font so it looks like “harte” so an anogram of heart.

Jennie and Ellen have found a top chef who produces lovely food and the design is smart with a party room at the end.  The chef likes the family friendly hours of a tea house that closes at 6pm.  When I saw a party of young, excited, girls arriving I feared for my peace and quiet but they were happy in the function room.  Most of the tables were full of ladies enjoying the afternoon.  No Wi-Fi seemed to be on offer.

So two businesses at two very different stages.  Will Tart last for 76 years?  Does Tart have something which could be franchised?  Which business plan resource do they use?  Will public sector employees enjoy the long hours of the entrepreneur and learn to smile?