NEW MOBILE CAFE CALLED THE STOP AT TEDDINGTON LOCK
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Teddington riverside ramblers, dog walkers, joggers and cyclists were stopped in their tracks by a a new mobile coffee outlet ….. called The Stop.
The 1962 Citroen HY black van has been converted into mobile coffee shop – with special permission from the Environment Agency – and is situated 100 metres from Teddington footbridge on the Richmond side and opposite Teddington Lock.
There were queues today for coffee (Americano, flat white, cappuccino, latte, mocha, dirty chai latte and hot chocolate) and tea (English breakfast, decaf English breakfast, peppermint and green) as well as all-day Butchers Baps (provided by a local bakery) with sausage, bacon, bacon and sausage and egg and has browns, skin-on fries on the menu.
Today (Saturday) The Stop was manned by Scott, Jamie and his dad Rod and the business, which also has an outlet in Leatherhead, started as a family business and recently chose Teddington as the next stage of expansion.
Scott and Jamie, both ex black cab drivers spent a lot of time in London, and had plenty of opportunity to sample good coffee and good and were left disappointed when their coffee experiences were below par.
“We couldn’t understand why cafes would provide poor coffee and that led is to dreaming about owning our own coffee place one day in Surrey and provide good coffee and simple food as well.
“Teddington was always on the cards as a location because Jamie’s dad Rod worked as a lock keeper at Teddington and he and his wife Sue always dreamed of running their own little cafe or mobile unit so that led us to suggest this to the Environment Agency and after a lot of back and forth we got the go ahead, which is fantastic.
“Our future plans include trying to provide some limited seating outside and looking at other menu options when we learn more about what our customers really like. We want to keep everything in the community.”
The Stop will also be offering the left over coffee grounds to passers by to use as COMPOST which is fantastic for keen gardeners.
They also hope to forge a partnership with a top ice cream supplier, which will be positioned next to the van for the summer months.
The van is parked at a local football club for a small fee as it’s unable to stay permanently in the spot and arrives and leaves every day. It will be open from 8am and 4pm every day during the winter months.
Opening hours will be extended in the summer.