Wake up and smell the coffee!

[thelittlecoffeevan]

Ladygooner Wrote:

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> Great news - how much for a cappucino?

?1.60 with a single shot of coffee, ?1.80 for a double. Served in a 12 oz cup.

[mumra]

Are you the same people who do coffee from a little van on a Saturday on Rosendale Road, West Dulwich? Their coffee is always fantastic and of high quality - nice people too. If you are, then I am very happy. If not, good luck anyway!

[thelittlecoffeevan]

mumra Wrote:

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

> Are you the same people who do coffee from a

> little van on a Saturday on Rosendale Road, West

> Dulwich? Their coffee is always fantastic and of

> high quality - nice people too. If you are, then I

> am very happy. If not, good luck anyway!

No, we're not. Hopefully you'll think that our coffee is fantastic and high quality and that we're nice people too!

[thelittlecoffeevan]

Disaster!

We set up this morning as promised and were just about ready to serve when the power failed.

We have a technical problem which we don't yet understand - something to do with the battery or the inverter. Our second, back-up battery didn't resolve the problem. In fact there was a spark, then nothing.

We'll get onto our suppliers as soon as they open. If anyone has any bright ideas in the meantime, please let us know!

[KalamityKel]

Aside from your power issues I hope you have all the necessary permission/paperwork? Would be a shame to get something going successfully only to be destroyed by the council and it's "rules"

[ziggy]

I saw what I assume is your little van parked on Melbourne this morning and wondered what had gone wrong! I hope you are able to resolve things. Good luck!

[Keef]

That's really crappy luck for your first day! Hope it's all resolved and you get going tomorrow!

[thelittlecoffeevan]

Yeap, that's us. The inverter has blown - a combination of dodgy wiring, poor design and Day 1 nerves I think. We're busy trying to hunt down a new one. Not sure it'll be fixed for tomorrow. :'(

[AcedOut]

Is there any way you can bypass it are wire directly to the mains? If so, maybe you can get away with hiring a small generator, or paying a local shop for some borrowed mains? Just a thought...

[thelittlecoffeevan]

Unfortunately thelittlecoffeevan will not now be trading outside the Garden Centre because the person who gave us permission (verbal, obviously...) to be there did not have the authority to do so.

We have had discussions with Southwark Council and Southern Railways who were both sympathetic and very helpful and we have learnt a huge amount. They have both come back with alternative pitches which we are looking into.

We are still available for private hire and we hope to see you at local events in the very near future.

Thanks for your words of encouragement.

[SeanMacGabhann]

bad week at the office for you isn't it?- I feel for you

All the best for the future

[Ladygooner]

Can't you just park your van on the street near the train station until the traffic wardens wake up?

[AcedOut]

I think you'd need a licence to trade on public land Ladygooner ...

[Cora]

Can I suggest you try the getting permission near the swings at Dulwich Park (and do hot chocolate). The park could so do with a good quality coffee van.I'm sure you'd do roaring trade and mean people could finally avoid the ridiculous queues and monoply that the pavilion has.

[Mark]

I thought that shops owned about 3 1/2 feet into the pavement (that's what those brass studs in the pavement are marking), if you keep in that area I would have thought you were classed as being on the Garden Centre's property? Although there may of course be a piece of paper somewhere that says something which means you're not allowed to.

[chuff]

hope you find somewhere else suitable, little coffee van.

I agree with above poster about dulwich park but think anywhere on the dulwich estate is impossible to get a food trading license.

good luck

[AcedOut]

Mark - I think you're right. Also, I think shops own land above the basement area, so a basement cover would also indicate the same thing as the studs. Surely if you're trading on someone else's land with their permission, then you're ok? Any lawyers on here?

[chuff]

wouldn't the shop have to have A3 use or whatever it is that you need to sell food and beverages?

[Mark]

I think you're probably right chuff. Perhaps the van could sell someone a seed and with it they get a free coffee.

[thelittlecoffeevan]

Mark Wrote:

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

> I thought that shops owned about 3 1/2 feet into

> the pavement (that's what those brass studs in the

> pavement are marking), if you keep in that area I

> would have thought you were classed as being on

> the Garden Centre's property? Although there may

> of course be a piece of paper somewhere that says

> something which means you're not allowed to.

That's what we were led to believe, too...

As we learnt today, the brass studs indicate a shop's frontage, but the shop would still need permission from Southwark Council to allow anyone else to use it for trading. Southwark Council are currently pursuing a policy of clearing the streets - removing street furniture etc - so any business deemed to be an "obstruction" has no chance of being given a licence. A coffee van, however small, and however much of a service it provided to locals, fits into this category.

The other issue is that the Garden Centre doesn't actually own the land. Southern Railways lease it to them. Apart from it being a violation of their lease to sub-let it, Southern Railways are currently in dicussion with someone to put a kiosk at East Dulwich station (you heard it here first)(no, I have no idea where it'll be placed) and they wouldn't allow a direct competitor so close.

Both Southwark Council and Southern Railways came back and offered us alternative pitches today, which was amazing. Neither is in East Dulwich, but we're looking into them and hope to be up and trading not too far away soon.

[macroban]

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties.

> As we learnt today, the brass studs indicate a shop's frontage, but the shop would still need permission from Southwark Council to allow anyone else to use it for trading. Southwark Council are currently pursuing a policy of clearing the streets - removing street furniture etc - so any business deemed to be an "obstruction" has no chance of being given a licence.

This statement does not ring true.

(1) You cannot cause an obstruction on private property.

(2) Southwark Council has not applied the same "rules" to stalls outside retail premises in Lordship Lane.

[fuzzyboots]

I realise that rules of this sort exist to protect the common good, but I find it so frustrating when the local entrepreneurs of this world are denied even the most simple opportunity to provide a service that it's clear would be welcomed by the local community.

Good luck littlecoffeevan. I'm rooting for you!

[SeanMacGabhann]

If the hi-fi guy on LL can cordon off that much space it would indicate that it is indeed private property and not obstructing a public highway (even tho if you ask me it bloody is!)

[AcedOut]

macroban - agree, this cannot possibly be an obstruction since it's private property. If you were to become a 'paid' worker at the garden centre (perhaps your 'pay' can be linked to the number of coffee's you sell!), then it would technically mean that the garden centre would in fact be selling the coffee (since this is secondary to what they sell, I'm fairly sure this is allowed under their A1(?) trading licence). There is no sub-letting going on and your pay with the garden centre is of no business of the councils (perhaps the tax man though!).

I'm sure you can get around this. Loopholes are clearly in existence here, but it depends how much you want to push it and how much the garden centre want to help you in your cause...

[*Bob*]

With a little co-operation with the Hi-Fi man, a few neon letter changes and a decimal point surely a mutually beneficial deal could be struck?

"Coffee from ?5.95"