A FOOD business in Huddersfield has quickly found the recipe for success.
Cafe Society’s owners Lizzy and Alec Jackson opened the doors of the Byram Street venue in April last year.
The cafe was awarded a Kirklees Healthy Choice Award in its first month of trading and is now a five-star food hygiene-rated establishment.
The interior decor boasts a jazz theme and a “light airy space” for customers. Easy listening music and jazz classics from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s ensure the cafe appeals to people of all ages, including families and students as well as the older generation.
Identifying a niche market, the cafe introduced a range of gluten-free food and now provides breakfasts, a range of lunch items and confectionery. It has now been included in the latest edition of the Coeliac Food & Drink Guide following word-of-mouth recommendations.
Said Lizzy: “We take a lot of pride in catering for our customers’ dietary requirements, including vegetarians, dairy-free and vegans and we have established a loyal set of customers who return again and again because of this.
“As we are an independent, family-run business, there is always a familiar face behind the counter and we find running the business as a husband and wife team fits well with family life – with the help of our three main part-time staff topped up by four more part-timers at busy weekends.”
Cafe Society, which seats more than 60 people when full, runs evening functions such as fashion shows, jazz and ale nights and various charity events as well as private functions on request. Events have also included an author and creative writing session led by Michelle Hodgson, of Key Words, as well as business networking events.
Plans for the establishment include increasing further its gluten-free range and investing further in refrigeration equipment.
Said Lizzy: “There will be no stepping back by Alec and me, 18 months in. For a business like ours requires owner-management on the premises to know our customers.
“This helps our reputation, encourages customers to keep coming back and engenders word-of-mouth recommendation – as well as making the cafe a profitable concern.”
