New cafe opens in Hastings town centre

The Grumpy Cook, run by community interest company, Table88, is its latest branch to open and is based in Robertson Street.

The company has another branch in The Bale House at Hastings Country Park in the Firehills, which opened in summer 2021, as well as a separate cafe in Milton Keynes.

The Grumpy Cook started in 2012 when Barry Ashley began making food for other cafés and farm shops.

In 2015 the brand secured its first café in Milton Keynes and then expanded to open three further cafes there. After the pandemic, two of these cafes closed but The Grumpy Cook secured a partnership with Groundworks South to run the café at The Bale House.

Its latest branch opened in Robertson Street on July 24.

Georgia Tudball, marketing director for Table88 @ The Grumpy Cook, said: “The cafe wasn't originally not-for-profit, but Barry has been doing charitable offers through his cafes for years, including free lunches for children during Covid, free 'story-time and baking with Grumpy' sessions for children, and encouraging the elderly to reintegrate with the community after the lockdowns, by offering free hot drinks and the chance to sit and chat with members of staff.

“At the beginning of 2022, with the mounting cost pressures the majority of people were facing from the cost-of-living crisis, Barry decided that he wanted to formalise this charitable work and create something that would outlast him.

“We created Table88, a community interest company, and got to work holding more charitable events, starting with our free cream teas for the over 65s, where there's no other criteria for attending, so people from all backgrounds, single, couples or groups can come.

“Although the other Grumpy Cook locations offer many of the same deals and events as this new cafe, we wanted to open a place in the town centre, so it was easier for people to get to us.

“The more we got involved with the community, the more issues we discovered local people were facing. Table88's overarching theme is to do as much as we can to help local people, without 'looking like' a charity. We want to achieve our objectives without contributing to the stigma people can feel when, for example, using a food bank.

“Our cafes are open to everyone, including dogs. We are dog friendly inside all of our cafes. The idea is that anyone can walk in, and no one will know if they paid full price for their food and drink, or got it for free.

“We are keeping our prices in line with, or lower than, the chains, so it's effectively a no-brainer if you're in town and want to stop off for breakfast, lunch, a drink or a slice of cake. Everything at the cafe is made freshly on-site too, with vegan and gluten-free options available.”