‘New Fermain cafe tenants will have big shoes to fill’
EXASPERATION and disappointment were the primary feelings from Fermain beach kiosk users on Sunday, as they come to terms with the news that the well-loved site will have a new tenant next year.
Belmiro de Freitas, who has run the cafe for more than 20 years, failed to win the tender and is set to close at the end of month.
When the site reopens, it will be run by the owner of Coco on South Esplanade and Lola in Market Square.
The business, Pearl Oyster, impressed the decision-making panel with its plans, such as online orders for beach users, creating a new sun lounger area near the cafe, and longer opening times in the summer months.
However, locals and tourists using the cafe on Sunday were less impressed.
Fionna Travers lives nearby and said that the cafe had been a big part of her family's life. All three of her children had worked there over the years.
‘We just love coming here,’ she said, adding that her favourite dish was the tuna sandwich.
‘This is what Guernsey is all about. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’
She noted that the area lacked infrastructure, with the 3G signal a challenge, and queried how that would affect the online ordering plan.
Daughter Lauren, 27, said the new tenants might find it hard to win over customers.
‘They will have big shoes to fill,’ she said. ‘But we have to move forward with the times.’
Brian and Diane Hurrell, 79 and 66, from Essex, were on their first holiday to Guernsey. They had been specifically recommended by friends to visit the kiosk.
Mr Hurrell said the crab sandwich was excellent, but the kiosk was more than just the food.
‘I think it’s wonderful,’ he said.
‘It is very traditional and it is selling what people want – traditional cakes and fabulous food.’
Mrs Hurrell said they were worried that beach ordering might result in more litter on the beach and added that the kiosk already seemed very popular, with not a lot of space for more people.
A local couple, who asked not to be named, said they visited the kiosk two or three times a week. The man said the kiosk’s steak sandwich was their favourite.
‘We love it the way it is. I won’t come down if it changes,' he said.
Another local couple, who also asked not to be named, said the bay was very special to their family and they had known Mr de Freitas since he started the kiosk.
‘We are very sorry to see him go,’ she said.
‘I do think the kiosk works well. This is somewhere quite special.’
Even on a grey, slightly drizzly Sunday afternoon in September, nearly every table was taken.
While there were no famous faces at the kiosk on Sunday, the kiosk was given a name drop by television presenter and author Dawn O’Porter in the travel section of The Observer on Sunday. She described it as one of her favourite places.
‘I recommend the scallop salad with a crisp pinot grigio or a decadent hot chocolate, after a swim in the sea. It doesn’t get better,’ she wrote.
The cafe is expected to stay open until the last weekend in September, depending on the weather.
