BEHIND THE CLOUD – UP CLOSE WITH OWNER OF THE RIVERSIDE CAFE
TEDDINGTON TOWN likes to champion local businesses and THE FLYING CLOUD cafe overlooking the River Thames, the marina and Teddington footbridge offers unrivalled views especially during the recent stunning spell of weather when customers flocked to the riverside vantage point to sample the coffee and the range of delicious home made cakes. Here, the owner JUSTINE BROOME tells us the background to her successful business and her love of Teddington.
So fourteen years on The café is still going strong tell us about how you came up with the idea of the café and why is it called the Flying Cloud?
The idea was actually my husband’s who co owns the Boathouse Design Studio. He sits upstairs by the window and saw how many people walk across the bridge. The decking was actually built for the office but makes the perfect space for a cafe. Flying Cloud is the name of a type of airstream.
You have landed a prime location overlooking the river and the bridge, how did that come about?
The boathouse was bought in 2009 by Richard Broome from Outerspace (my husband) and Matt Allchurch MAA architects. They have created the Boathouse Design Studio which is a co-working space for design consultants.
Tell us a bit about your personal background Justine, have you worked in other business and projects and what gave you the idea of a riverside café?
My background is actually in marketing I have worked for several large publishers including Pearson Education. After having children it made sense to change career and a cafe seemed a great opportunity which allowed me to balance my home and work life.
What do you think is special about Teddington? Are you from the area originally, if not what brought you to the greatest place on earth?
I live in Kingston so not very far at all. Teddington is very special the people are kind and I’ve made some lovely friends over the years (since 2011) watched babies grow up to adults! I never tire of the view from the cafe the river, the boats the bridge it is simply a very special place to work. I especially love first thing in the morning when it’s so tranquil. I will never take the view for granted.
Are there are any stories about events or customers you feel you can share. Obviously the café hit the headlines when the whale got stuck in the reeds underneath the café. Was that good for business?
We actually featured on the national BBC news when the minke whale got unfortunately stuck outside the cafe. That was a bonkers day we were flooded with local and national press who were scrambling all over the flower pots and chairs to get a view. Unfortunately it was in COVID times and I was receiving messages about people not complying with social distancing rules but there was nothing me or my staff could do. Eventually we got help on the gates to limit numbers. But it wasn’t good for business that day the press just bought a bottle of water so they could justify being there 🤣
How many people do you employ and what sort of people are you looking for?
I have a great team of about twelve. My longest member of staff is Grace who started when she was 15 and she is currently still with me after graduating from university. Most of my staff are local and in some cases related like Amy and Freya who are sisters. Most of my staff recommend their friends who then become part of our team. My sons also help out so it really is a family run business. I am very lucky my team are all hard working and genuinely lovely. We also like to support schools and encourage work placements in the summer. We currently have students from Waldegrave and Kingston Academy joining us for a week’s work experience in July.
The café is famous for its cakes especially its Victoria sponge, who does all the baking and what is the most popular cake out of the lemon drizzle, the chocolate and the Victoria?
All the baking is done by myself with help from Kim. Before I opened the cafe I had NEVER baked a cake. But I think I’ve managed to nail it over the years and I wouldn’t like to guess how many cakes I’ve made since 2011 when we first opened. Our most popular cakes are Victoria sponge, coffee cake, lemon drizzle and apple drizzle. Although our Malteser fridge cake is a hit too.
Do you have any other interests and what do you do when the café is closed during the wintertime?
Most people think I go for a long winter holiday when we close but I don’t (I wish) to be honest it isn’t that long we are closed before I need to start planning for the next season. Once Christmas has past I go into planning motion for March opening.
How many customers do you think you have on an average week?
The number of customers we serve all depends on the weather. Obviously when it rains we hardly see anyone (apart from some lovely loyal customers who are happy to sit under the sail in the rain) then we can serve lots of people when the sun shines – which is so lovely to see!
Did the long running bridge repair works have an big impact on the business?
Yes, the bridge works had a massive impact on our business. We were hidden away behind an ever growing work compound plus it was noisy so not ideal for enjoying a coffee. Also the bridge closed for 2 weekends but thanks to a social media post that went out about us struggling the lovely people of Teddington made an effort to come down and support us – I was really touched by the support. The weather also didn’t help that year too – not sure I’ve experienced such a wet summer since opening. Thankfully this year then bridge works are complete and the season has had some great sunny weather.
The café is a big supporter of all the vital work carried out by the RNLI locally – how can your supporters and customers help?
The RNLI is a very special charity to us. The Teddington branch is headed up by Matt Allchurch who part owns the boathouse. A lot of my customers are volunteers and I like to thank them in return for their support so we sell their beautiful greeting cards and we match sales at end of season. Plus we donated a percentage of our takings to the recent Duck race.
Have you had any famous faces drop by over the years?
Yes, Rick Parfitt from Status Quo, Rob Brydon from Gavin and Stacey, who I think lives locally and the footballer Paul Merson