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What's the current situation with bars and cafes on stations?

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johntea

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Is the Leeds station Spoons back open yet?

I was rather surprised to find the St Pancras Spoons open today where I’m currently sat enjoying some very cheap food (forgot that eat out business started today until I saw the subtotal!) but I suppose it has a lot more space to play around with compared to Leeds
 
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Journeyman

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route101 said:
Small shopping centre next to the station. You can access it by using the waverley steps.
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Take the exit towards Princes Street, and it's about halfway up on the left. Or, if going into the station, halfway down on the right. :)
 
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haggishunter

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Most things shut at Glasgow Central yesterday, possibly all though I wasn't round the whole high level station. ScotRail coffee carts still closed at Glasgow Queen Street also.
 
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trebor79

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Patrickburford said:
Changed at Grantham today, costa shut, Starbucks shut. New bar / pub is open.
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I like that little bar, nice to be able to wait for a train with a pint and a paper in pleasant surroundings. I have wistful memories of my first visit to it, but that's for another thread.
 
yorksrob

yorksrob

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Still nowt open at Preston I see.

Really this should be a wake-up call to break up the SSP monopoly on certain stations.
 
I

II

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To try to answer the original posters question, it made no sense to open businesses on stations when there was hardly any footfall and the furlough scheme was in full swing. Even now there is no justification to open all but a small number of outlets as most stations are still only seeing a third to a half of normal custom at off-peak times and less that that at peak times. That's not enough to make it worthwhile for most to take their staff off of furlough and pay them in order to reopen.

The balance will slowly shift though, as more people continue to come back to rail, and the furlough scheme winds down and eventually stops - which we must presume will still be the end of October. At that point, if an outlet hasn't reopened, I doubt it ever will, and sadly I can see quite a few keeping the shutters down forever, especially if there is a resurgance in the virus over winter as many are predicting.
 
yorksrob

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I'm pleased to note that The Snug at Carnforth is open. Watching some very fast trains go by while enjoying a beer.
 
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FQTV

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From what I could see, Sainsbury’s, Boots, Pret, Cards Galore, Bar Burrito, Hotel Chocolat, Café Nero The Paddington Bear Shop and Wasabi are open at Paddington, though with shorter hours posted in some cases.
 
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route101

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Boots , Pret, Costa (I think) and WH Smith open at Edinburgh yesterday.
 
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Sweetjesus

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WHSmiths and the independent sandwich/cafe shop at Crewe were open as of Friday 7th August. Not sure when they first reopened though.
 
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33117

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At manchester piccadilly all you've got open on the station itself is:

Hotel Chocolat
Sainsburys
WHSmith

Can't remember if boots has reopened yet but everything else is still shut including the upper concourse (blocked off at the escalators & stairs by barriers) plus the pubs/shop up there too.

Stockport is still a ghost town, hardly anyone using it still so all the coffee shops & whsmith are still closed.

At macclesfield my home station the ace pumpkin coffee hasn't reopened yet. Have any of them done so or is it just macc?
 
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FQTV

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At Durham, both Costas have reopened, but with limited hours.

The Waiting Room pub on Platform Two has also reopened. Hours vary by day but they’re posted on their social media pages.

WHSmith remains shut.
 
J-P_L

J-P_L

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33117 said:
Can't remember if boots has reopened yet but everything else is still shut including the upper concourse (blocked off at the escalators & stairs by barriers) plus the pubs/shop up there too.
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Boots has been open throughout the pandemic... handy to avoid the queue to get into Sainsburys for a sandwich!

Pret is open again (albeit reduced hours), and not sure if they are only using the external doors for entry, was certainly open when I last had a break there.
 
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CHAPS2034

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33117 said:
Stockport is still a ghost town, hardly anyone using it still so all the coffee shops & whsmith are still closed.
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Just for the avoidance of doubt, this refers to the station rather than the centre of town where most coffee shops, cafes, pubs and bars have reopened.:D
 
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boyaloud

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J-P_L said:
Boots has been open throughout the pandemic... handy to avoid the queue to get into Sainsburys for a sandwich!

Pret is open again (albeit reduced hours), and not sure if they are only using the external doors for entry, was certainly open when I last had a break there.
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Nero at the station has opened. As has the one at the foot of the approach. I think everything is now open along the approach! Archies is , for dine in too. co op and black sheep coffee are.
 
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boyaloud

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Nothing at all open at Stoke yet. the Subway just outside has been open for at least a month now though, and does surprisingly decent (and strong ) coffee, and only costs 100 sub points
 
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