The new cost of living has forced some cafes to now add dinner to the menu in order to combat the rising prices of rent, energy, produce and more.
Suresh Manickam CEO of R&CA was quoted stating that “Small businesses that are already paying substantial rents are exploring every possible avenue to maximise the space that they have,” Mr Manickam said.
“This includes attempting to trade at more hours of the day, but this is a challenge when staff shortages already impact existing trading hours.
“The alternative is to expand takeaway options after hours, which is more reliant on back of house staff.”