Dulwich Park Cafe change of owners.

[bvpainter]

I understand that the current owners of the cafe in Dulwich Park are giving up their lease and somenbody else will be taking over. There is a rumour that all the Southwark park's cafes will be under a single ownership. Doess anyone know if this is correct and has anyone any idea who it will be. Could it be one of the big chains.

[Jennys]

That is probably the plan.

[Abe_froeman]

Presumably there was some sort of open bid process that is very transparent to the people Southwark serve, as per usual.

[Penguin68]

has anyone any idea who it will be

Conways

[sela]

sounds a bad idea all the cafes will be under the same ownership.

[TheCat]

Hopefully it will become an Iceland.

Just pop a few microwaves out the front, and hey presto...

[taper]

Can't be any worse. I'll miss all the signs telling you what's forbidden and permissible though.

[kibris]

So no one knows

[Fly]

McDonald's

[cactus]

Costa

[Seabag]

The best Cafe in a Park is the one in Crystal Palace, it's owned by people that seem to be happy. They make nice food and are nice to you.

Fancy that eh!

[James Barber]

I'll find out. I anticipated having this info 7 September.

[Nigello]

Louisa's

[pop9770]

Maybe the service food and cleanliness' will be improved.

[Jeremy]

Seabag Wrote:

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> The best Cafe in a Park is the one in Crystal

> Palace, it's owned by people that seem to be

> happy. They make nice food and are nice to you.

The retro school-dinner canteen place near the "lake"? The staff are nice, sure...

[TheCat]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Seabag Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > The best Cafe in a Park is the one in Crystal

> > Palace, it's owned by people that seem to be

> > happy. They make nice food and are nice to you.

>

> The retro school-dinner canteen place near the

> "lake"? The staff are nice, sure...

Yeah, I got a lovingly prepared carton of ribena juice there the other day.....

[Jeremy]

TheCat Wrote:

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> Yeah, I got a lovingly prepared carton of ribena

> juice there the other day.....

I got a cheeseburger for myself (limp and grey, with sachets of dubious brand condiments), and a "children's pasta" (fusilli with frozen mixed veg) for my daughter. It was cheap, I suppose.

[tomskip]

I think the Dulwich park cafe has been ok if not fine since it was last refurbished in the early 2000s (?) The CanYouPlease and CanYouPleaseNot laminated notices all over the place were amusing and some of them made perfect sense re. bringing pushchairs in, blocking toilets, making the children's play corner area all muddy due to not taking wellies off. Prices could be absurd though! Am interested to see who takes over.

I also like Crystal Palace park cafe. A lot less pretentious.

[Seabag]

At Crystal palace Cafe I've limited my option to either ham egg and chips, or the chicken kebab with bulgar wheat and salad

Both of those work for me, they do them well for a cafe of this level, or I go else where to a specialist restaurant

Owning the cafe in Dulwich park would be hell I imagine

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

tomskip Wrote:

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> The CanYouPlease and CanYouPleaseNot

> laminated notices all over the place were amusing

> and some of them made perfect sense

"Will ALL customers please kindly be advised that only TWO (2) pepper sachets will be provided with any dish, except for set menus, in which case you maybe given one (1) extra sachet upon special request. Kids meals will not be served with any pepper, except for spaghetti bolognese in the afternoons on weekdays. Will all customers please note that this is for data privacy reasons. Thankyou"

IMO the food is alright and the prices are fine. It's the queues that are nuts. Perhaps the intricacy of the menu doesn't help...

[James Barber]

Head of Parks at Southwark Council has told me currently in middle of procurement exercise for all park cafes. It isn't the intention that one provider for all Southwark parks wins the concession to run all cafes - in fact she has been quite specific that this will not happen. The procurement exercise should complete in October.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

James Barber Wrote:

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It isn't the intention that one

> provider for all Southwark parks wins the

> concession to run all cafes - in fact she has been

> quite specific that this will not happen.

I hope that's in the tender documents if that's the intention.

As an aside, can anyone see the actual tender docs online? I can only see the early notice, not the full shebang: maybe I'm looking in the wrong place: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/bef94a3b-ba8b-4ee8-b846-8abb5b29d8ff

[marjies]

This must surely be one of the worst run cafes in London. Last Saturday I queued for 30 minutes before finally tottering to my friends with our coffees. There is no sensible system; the staff are constantly in each other's way and the speed of service flows between slow and stop!

[louloulabelle]

Popped in today to get lunch with little one and it was appaling. Uninterested staff, menu virtually non existent and only food on offer was fried, play area gone, just awful and to top it off a sign saying from october half term only cash accepted. If its in its transition of ownership it should probably close until it can offer a half decent service

[titch juicy]

James Barber Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Head of Parks at Southwark Council has told me

> currently in middle of procurement exercise for

> all park cafes. It isn't the intention that one

> provider for all Southwark parks wins the

> concession to run all cafes - in fact she has been

> quite specific that this will not happen. The

> procurement exercise should complete in October.

That's a real shame. The Peckham Rye Common Cafe is a little cracker.