Based in Kendal town centre, Bumble Bees Take Away is owned and run by Andrew McRobbie and Louise Hudson. While working towards the café’s reopening, the pair contacted Cumbria Business Growth Hub for support. Three months on, business is booming as the café serves good, honest food to happy customers six days a week.
Until July 2022, the café had been operating as Harry’s in the Town under different ownership. However, with the business struggling due to rising costs, the decision was made to close the café. Louise was working at Harry’s when it closed and decided to take over the business with her partner Andrew.
Andrew and Louise purchased the kitchen equipment from the previous owner and then got to work rebranding the café as Bumble Bees Takeaway. They added new items to the menu and shopped around to find the best deals from suppliers to ensure profitability.
Bumble Bees Takeaway serves no-fuss, home-cooked food, from cooked breakfasts to pies, sandwiches and soup at lunchtime, as well as freshly-baked cakes and specials including chilli and quiches. The menu is competitively priced to appeal to the café’s clientele which comprises both locals and tourists.
When Andrew and Louise approached Cumbria Business Growth Hub looking for support, we knew just who to contact. Growth Hub business adviser Adrian Luckham has a background in sales and marketing and a track record of providing our clients with straightforward commercial advice which increases profitability. Adrian worked closely with Andrew and Louise offering advice and guidance every step of the way. Andrew said:
“The support we received was invaluable being our first time starting a business. The help we got with even the most trivial of questions will stand us in great stead for the future. Anyone with any plans to start a business, this help is an opportunity that can’t be wasted.”
Andrew and Louise’s determination for the business to succeed, combined with expert input from Adrian, has paid off and just over three months in the business is turning a profit. Now established, the pair can contemplate the future of Bumble Bees Take Away and its role in serving the people of Kendal.
“Looking forward we will strive to keep prices as low as we possibly can. We know the people of Kendal are struggling like the rest of the country so pricing is paramount to our plans. We will add products that we think are value for money and hope that we are well supported by the local community.”
Our Business Start-Up Support programme is supported by South Lakeland District Council.
Thinking of setting up your own business? We can help!
Get in touch today and speak to a member of our team on info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk or call us on 0844 257 84 50.
The funding that supports the Growth Hub comes from a range of sources including Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, the European Regional Development Fund, Sellafield Ltd., Carlisle City Council, South Lakeland District Council, Penrith Industrial BID and Cumbria LEP. The Growth Hub is receiving up to £2,528,767 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The BSUS project is receiving up to £1,112,686 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information, click here.