A Chichester café owner on opening at the 'worst possible time' and the best-sellers on the menu | Vicky Meets

How did Bumble’s begin? We opened at the worst possible time. I have always worked in hospitality and I’d been running a café in Bosham, which was then sold. I decided that I wanted something of my own and we found this lovely establishment. We managed to open in seven weeks on March 14, 2020.

We were locked down two weeks later. But we managed to keep going (Oliver, my landlord, has been brilliant) and now we have great Tripadvisor reviews and are in their 10 per cent best business in the world. We also have a recommendation badge from The Restaurant Guru.

When you say ‘we’, who do you mean? We are a family business. My daughters each have two babies, but Samantha still bakes for me and Danni makes the Bumble’s lasagne. Danni also makes the jewellery that we sell. Together with my husband Alan and my sons Jason and Raymi they have done so much to help Bumble’s become a success. They are all so supportive and I couldn’t have done it without them.

As well as family, Pauline also works at Bumble’s. She’s been with me since day one and she’s brilliant.

The café’s rooms are quirky and full of character. How did the designs come about? The pandemic did give us time to get things done, including planning the design of the rooms. Named after my dogs, upstairs we have Benjie’s Diner, Bailey’s Little London and Bumble’s Lounge.

People love the quirky decor. We lost Bumble in 2021 and I’m still broken about it. He was a chocolate labrador and we loved him. We welcome dogs at Bumble’s and there is always a little treat for them.

Do you have regulars? Yes. Customer service is really important to us. I want people to feel really welcome and to come back. I’ve had people come in who tell us that they are here because someone has recommended us, which is lovely.

What are your best-sellers? Our menu is quite traditional and home-made, which people really seem to like. Best-sellers are things like my steak pie, soup and rice pudding. The cakes are delicious and are also really popular.

Samantha’s cherry and almond cake is a big favourite at the moment. Some people come in for morning coffee and cake and then come back for lunch when they see what’s on the menu!

What’s next for Bumble’s? We plan to start opening a couple of evenings a week in the summer. Just until 9.30pm, so that families who might not want to go to a pub can come out together for a family meal.

Why are there knitted hats on display? Knitting is my hobby. The kids said that they didn’t need any more for their families, so now I knit hats and we sell them in Bumble’s. They did really well over winter!

Where can we find more information? You can find us at 25 Southgate, Chichester. Or visit bumblescafechichester.co.uk

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