The best biking Cafe is closing on 15th Dec 2010. Owner Ian Luff has got a double decker cafe bus at Brechfa and will soon have another catering vehicle.
http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/drop-off-cafe-afan-closing/
Who's taking over the cafe at the centre?
Thats sad news:-( all the best to Ian though, top bloke!
Totally agree, they'll be a hard act to follow 😥
Skyline will be taking over I think.
Really sad news, top cafe run by a top bloke. With this news following on from the news about the Hub at Glentress, it does make you wonder why would anyone take on such a venture!
Havent they learned what happened at CYB? Sian and Daf had a great thing going, lost their tender, was given to someone else who screwed it up and now taken over by someone else who is doing just as a crap job.
I can see the glentress centre as well as the drop off going the same way... One reason that current leasees have lost the tender is that they know exactly what is involved, new tenders will probably underestimate and eventually will show in the running of the cafe, and reecoup losses with low quality of food, cheap uninterested staff etc... just like the CYB centre!!
iirc the centre is owned by the glyncorrwg ponds cooperative so has nothing to do with trails as such. I think it was built with forestry money but given to the folk who run the fishing ponds so i don't expect they actually know anything about the failures of CyB and possibly GT. I expect the furthest half of the commitee have been is their hols to Port Talbot.
I stand to be corrected on the above comment though.
Their hols were in Porthcawl not Port Talbot
As i said, i was prepared to be corrected. 😉
I'll miss the Welsh rarebit & being randomly short changed
I am from the RHONDDA and i use glyncorwg a more then my misues likes me to, and STEVE the owner of skyline and the drop off cafe is going to have the afan site aswell, so dont spit your dummy out quite yet because the original staff will remain as did the girls in glyncorwg when he took over, ive got the full run down off my mukkas in the shop.
I'll continute to be concerned until someone tells me what is happening and they convince me that the new cafe will be as good as the old one.
I think Ian had a really good attitude towards running the place.
Yes just seen it on http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/dropoff-cafe-at-afan-to-close-28610
But on the plus side and to give Ian your support come and check out his new bus on the 2nd of Jan at the SPAM winter Challenge!
http://www.spambiking.co.uk/events.asp
Well to be fair, skyline cycles is one of the best bike shops around IMO. They know the customers, the business and they know mountain bikers. I don't see how they can get it wrong. If they mess this one up, they should just go home.
Sorry gigsy, but I tried and failed to unravell your post 😀
a sorry farewell to ian. I heard that steve was planning on expanding the bike shop upstairs and reducing the size of the cafe. personally i think that would be a shame as the cafe gets very busy as it is!
Keep serving the same food and keep the portions the same size....nothing to get wrong really. Ian is rarely around whenever i visit anyway so i don't think he is key to the continued success of the cafe. Yes, he has made it what it is now but the hardwork is done surely.
The Skyline boys will no doubt do a fine job even though they did try to secure the new lease behind Ian's back a few months ago!
Mind you....will Ian's mum continue to make the amazing cakes??!!!!!
Strange sense of deja vu, im sure we had this topic last year?? all i can say is currently its an amazing cafe, second to CL as the muffin is top class there, hope the high standards continue. Good luck to the new bus venture!
Was going to ride W2 on the 17th, this has now changed to the 14th! Aiming for a big meal after
Strange sense of deja vu, im sure we had this topic last year??
Last year he was told his lease was not being renewed and he was being booted out. He took some of legal action which won a reprieve.
From what I have heard it is all about money. But not about more rent for the owners, but about actually getting rent paid. heard that the owners instigated legal action to safegard the centre as without rent being paid the centre could not remain open
It was Ian Luff that took legal action not the centre owners! Anyone would think the cafe was the major attraction not the actual trails 😯
Me thinks someone is confusing "legal advice" with "legal action" ❓
I was there today. It was a ghost town. Shop is closed all week. A saw a Cafe sign on the old building next to the trail centre. That was closed too.
Sad end to a fantastic business
Ian is a top bloke
Storey to follow