Owners of Salford's teapot café launch 'last ditch effort' to survive amid council 'struggles'
14.07.2023 - 17:14
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The owners of a teapot-shaped café truck in Salford say they are at their ‘wits end’ as they struggle to make ends meet.
The Travelling Teapot, run by business partners Maria Williams and Vicky Brunwin, has been located at Buille Hill Park since February. But the co-owners say limited footfall at the park has left them with the real prospect of having to shut down business for good.
Maria, who lives in Ordsall, said their attempts to find a new street spot for their café venture has so far proven unsuccessful. She said that when the pair proposed possible new locations to Salford Council they were given ‘feeble excuses’ and told they were unable to relocate to any of the suggested spots.
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“I just feel like we’re struggling to get some support,” Maria told the M.E.N. “We’re not looking to make loads of money, we just want to survive and earn a liveable wage. We just want to be on a level playing field where we can do what we do.
“We feel like we’ve been passed from pillar to post whenever we’ve asked for a new spot. The council has told us they’re not taking on new traders or there’s too many in specific areas. We’re not looking for a golden ticket, we just want a fair chance.”
Maria says that the pair needs to sell ‘at least ten drinks an hour’ to make ends meet but they’re currently struggling to sell ten drinks a day at Buille Hill. On one occasion, they sold just two drinks during a five-hour stint.
“It’s a lovely park but just not enough people go to it during the week,” she explained. “Even on the sunniest of days, it’s never particularly busy. We’ve sat there for an hour before and not one person has walked past. We’ve