Taking credit.

So we finally have the debit/credit card machine installed. We tried it out yesterday afternoon when a lady had to come behind the counter and into the kitchen to use it as we didn't have an extension cable. Today it sat proudly next to the till. And refused to work.
It declined one woman's card, and when she tried another it declined that too. She paid in cash eventually and I wondered why I ever thought it was a good idea.
It behaved itself later. So we now have TWO whole completed transactions.
In another major change, fruit scones are now much more popular than plain ones. Freda is thrilled as she's been lobbying to include them on the menu for years.

The answer, my friend.

I was at the cash and carry at 0730. Naomi met me in the car park with her legal stash of choc cake, vicki sponge and quiche which she'd made last night after another of my desperate calls.
Busier than expected today. A Bank Holiday, I'm informed, often has an extra day's busy-ness. Same source says it'll quieten for the rest of the week and then peak again at the weekend. I'll know by Sunday whether my source is reliable.
Many came to us for shelter from the wind this afternoon. They wanted tea and warmth after being blown about while watching the Witley Court fountain, now being fired every hour. And you can time the next wave of customers to the tea rooms. The fountain stops. They come. And they love chocolate cake.

Bank Holidays

Blimey. Do I really have to do this again tomorrow? It's really lovely greeting people, taking their orders (taking their money) and giving them tea and scones and cake and sandwiches. But after a hectic Bank Holiday Monday I have to be at the cash and carry at 7.30 in the morning for loo rolls and crisps and a whole shopping list of things we can't do without. Some mums pointed out today that I need a couple more high chairs. They don't sell those at the cash and carry.

TV and tea cakes

Central television's Bob Warman stood in a long line of Easter customers and ordered a tea cake. We'd run out. We've also run out of hot cross buns, chocolate cake, lemon drizzle cake (a personal triumph), toffee cake and scones. More will be delivered tomorrow after some frantic phone calls this evening. I hope.

Easter Saturday drizzle

Today was momentous for me. I went in early and made a cake. Lemon Drizzle. It was the first baking I had done personally since we opened. We were packed out at tea time - the sun had brought people out and then the rain made them rush to us for cover. We ran out of three flavours of soup, sold all the the fruit scones and all but one hot cross bun. We haven't yet sold out of lemon drizzle but there's always tomorrow.

Not just one.

Today was the day. Two coeliacs. I could have kissed them! Both were very appreciative of Naomi's gluten-free banana cake, which we drizzled with toffee sauce.
Then in late afternoon 70 people who were rehearsing in the church came down for tea and cake ALL AT THE SAME TIME. They ate all the scones and I feared they'd eat me out of cake. I wish I'd ordered more hot cross buns now.

Hot cross buns

THURSDAY The Environmental Health Officer said our place is gleaming. That's made the four days Pam spent on her knees worthwhile (scrubbing, not praying). Now I have to fill in a load of forms about cleaning rotas and staff training and whether we ever serve rice, then he'll come back and see what star rating we are.
We're now offering seasonal fayre in the form of hot cross buns. We named the soup "a taste of the garden" and it all went. Maybe the stranger the name the better.