The owners said they couldn’t afford to keep the cafe running in an honest farewell message
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Customers have said they are 'so sorry' after an announcement that a Bingham cafe has closed. When it opened in August 2022 The Sustainable Kitchen's plant-based menu was an instant hit. The owners said: "We had immense dreams and hope for this place as a team and are all so gutted."
Significant issues over the last year have affected the business, amongst them evening opening hours, staffing and the financial cost of running a sustainable business. A farewell message on the cafe's Facebook page said: "It is harder now than ever to open a business and be successful and the past few months have been challenging for us and, unfortunately, we cannot bring ourselves out of this hole we are in.
"It brings me the greatest sadness, heartache and pain to write this: for this amazing business we have no choice but to close down. We have fought a tough battle and given it our all this last year and a half but we cannot afford to go on like this. There doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel and the business just isn’t there to keep us afloat anymore."
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The cafe was based in former pub, the Chesterfield Arms, next door to Domino's Pizza. It served breakfasts such as French toast and a burrito with vegan bacon and sausage, and lunches of its signature sausage rolls, lentil dahl and seasonal soup. Last November it launched an evening service.
Chef Rik de Raynor and his fiancé Tim Novak ran the cafe in Church Street. The last customers were served on Friday, January 26.
The announcement finished by saying: "I want to thank you all on behalf of every one of us at The Sustainable Kitchen for coming in and being a part of our little haven for the duration of our journey. We are so incredibly grateful for all of our customers, whether you’re local or travel far to visit us, you really are our family and it has been such a pleasure to meet every single one of you and serve you our food.
"We read all of your kind words online, appreciate every single share and recommendation and feel honoured to have such a lovely customer base. We have been so fortunate in that respect."
Last October the duo revealed that they were hoping to open a venue in the city centre after an issue with evening opening hours at the Bingham cafe.
Messages poured in from fans of the cafe. One woman said: "So very very sorry to read this as I have only just discovered you and really enjoyed my chat with the lovely Rik and team. Such a loss to the community – I live quite a way from Bingham and really felt welcomed and enjoyed your ethos and passion for making a difference.
Another wrote: "Oh my goodness, devastated to read this. Sending so much love your way. You guys rocked it in such tough times, you should all be very proud of the amazing place you create."
