Riverside Brasserie RIP?

No Regrets

No Regrets

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Looks like the Riverside Brasserie has folded, judging by the notice on the door at Bray Marina.

Is anybody going to make this place work?

It's almost a shame, as the food was good this time around....:confused:
 
Is anybody going to make this place work?


Perhaps they could ask the people behind GoGos at racecourse marina, these guys genuinely know what they are doing. They even let people with jeans in.
 
They wouldn't even run to a coffee in the morning for our early arriving guests. Even though they were setting up and having coffee themselves. Ridiculous and short sighted.

The 'Showboat' at Harleyford have stopped doing breakfast, which is fair enough if no demand. But they turned away 5 covers last year, who only wanted eggs and toast and copious amounts of profitable coffee. Two staff in the kitchen and the owner present so not short on staff. Madness. Will never return even though we moor within a stones throw and have spent plenty with them in the past.
 
Cashbuyer said:
They wouldn't even run to a coffee in the morning for our early arriving guests. Even though they were setting up and having coffee themselves. Ridiculous and short sighted.

The 'Showboat' at Harleyford have stopped doing breakfast, which is fair enough if no demand. But they turned away 5 covers last year, who only wanted eggs and toast and copious amounts of profitable coffee. Two staff in the kitchen and the owner present so not short on staff. Madness. Will never return even though we moor within a stones throw and have spent plenty with them in the past.
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Showboat went bust so you couldn't go back.

Again, here's hoping for new lease with reasonably priced fodder on offer.
 
Bray Marina really deserves a caff.

rosssavage said:
Serves them right! Refused to serve me lunch because I was wearing jeans once! Looks like they could use my money now.. :)
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Tried to eat there on two occasions without success and have heard of marina residents with similar luck.
Shame that somebody could not find the right formula to make a go of it.
Not sure it is the right premises " to small ?" for posh restaurant, despite cracking location.
Perhaps trying for customer base that has disappeared ?
Many riverside outfits manage to survive on a seasonal basis providing early basic breakfast and brunches during day but move up a gear to more formal dining in evening.
During our stays at Bray being a bit of a captive crew (long walk up to village and dodgy walk back after dark) we would have loved to have had a fry up in the morning followed by a reasonably priced meal during evening.
 
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Tough market for restaurants with a fine line between success and failure. Market forces will tend to make landlords realistic but increasing business rates can be a challenge.

The little bar at T&K on the face of it seems to be doing well with a pleasant atmosphere and live music most weekends. Whether they are actually making any money with such a small venue is another matter, but I hope they continue to thrive.
 
me and most of the other people I have spoken to in Bray marina, have always said it needs to be more of a cafe type place in the morning and lunchtime. I'm sure that they would do a good trade in cooked breakfasts. I agree about the comment regarding GoGo's at the racecourse marina, as we went there one evening by boat and it had a great atmosphere with the bar area being busy (as it happens, the food wasn't that good but okay).
 
thamesS23 said:
me and most of the other people I have spoken to in Bray marina, have always said it needs to be more of a cafe type place in the morning and lunchtime. I'm sure that they would do a good trade in cooked breakfasts. I agree about the comment regarding GoGo's at the racecourse marina, as we went there one evening by boat and it had a great atmosphere with the bar area being busy (as it happens, the food wasn't that good but okay).
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The previous two occupants of Bray were more that kind of thing, anyone remember the South African family and the Greasy Spoon before that?
Unfortunately they failed too, still miss the Sunday morning fryups and impromptu BCC meet ups.
Add that to the two occupants in that time at Showboat - one more low key café and last one more in line with brasserie again both failed.
They cant "all" be poorly run businesses....
 
apollo said:
The previous two occupants of Bray were more that kind of thing, anyone remember the South African family and the Greasy Spoon before that?
Unfortunately they failed too, still miss the Sunday morning fryups and impromptu BCC meet ups.
Add that to the two occupants in that time at Showboat - one more low key café and last one more in line with brasserie again both failed.
They cant "all" be poorly run businesses....
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The locations may be 'idyllic' - but don't lend themselves to a clientele other than boaters (plus those that know).
Both are off the beaten track and at Harleyford there's nowhere to moor.

Shame.
 
Agreed, they were all dead in the winter apart from diehards...lets hope the rents are low to compensate for that.....

yeah-right-623vhm1dv-73376-400-361.jpg
 
I couldn't comment on the rent, but if it wasn't realistic, one would assume it wouldn't have gotten rented in the first place!

I never had the urge to have breakfast there, as it's far easier to knock up Eggs and Bacon with all the trimmings on the boat for £1.50 a head including Coffee!

As for evening meals, why bother when you can either eat on board, or enjoy a whole host of places just an hours cruise away in Windsor, most of whom can accomodate four people at the drop of a hat, rather than ALWAYS saying 'No' (My experience!)

This place couldn't drag enough boats off the riverside to make a living, it needs to import customers via road from the locality, using the riverside location as an attraction, and really nice food as the other.

If somebody wanted to run a really good chandlery with a coffee bar though....that might succeed!
 
They should have taken a lesson from the cafe/bistrot on the waterfront at Benson.

I hadnt been there for some years but during last summer a business contact who lives locally suggested we meet there for a discussion and coffee. I must admit my first reaction was 'eh??...he must be kidding.' How wrong I was.

There's now proper tables & seating outside for around 30 covers and at least the same inside. Very good menu, excellent coffee, spotlessly clean and with very polite service. The place is packed. Benson is way off the main traffic centres but this place has built a solid business through very good products, pricing and service. They have free wifi and the place was crowded by 1pm. We now meet there regularly, referring it to is 'the Benson HQ'....and we're not the only ones having business meetings there.

I cant get my head around a site which has a captive audience (like at a marina) not making the effort to capitalise on that as a foundation. That said, the hospitality market is full of people whose sheer arrogance (ignorance?) means that they prefer instead to 'sell what they want, when they want and to whom they want' as opposed to creating a business which people will make an effort to go to. I suppose they just have naive dreams...as opposed to a business plan.

Shame really....I'd love my own place like that.........
 
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totally agree about Benson, that place is great for food. Always stop there when that far up river for one of their breakfast or lunches. I also know of a few non boaty groups who go there regually (cycling clubs, etc)
 
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