New alternative cafe opens in Blackpool town centre and aims to be a safe space for the LGBTQ+ and alternative communities.

Blackpool Gazette

The cafe offers customers a wide range of food and drink options, including burgers and hotdogs with vegan and vegetarian options. The cafe also provides hot and cold drinks, including coffee, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks, which are served after 11 am through to 11:30 pm. Ayako Yamoto, a member of the bar staff at the cafe, said: "We like the scene in Blackpool; there's a little bit of an alternative scene, and we thought that we would be part of it and thought we would add to it with our bar now".

Transcript

00:00So what initially brought you to Blackpool to open this cafe?

00:05We just liked the scene in Blackpool, you know, there's a little bit of an alternative scene going

00:09and we thought we'd sort of be part of that, we'd been part of it and we just thought we'd add to it with our own sort of bar now.

00:15Yeah. So what does the cafe offer, like what's on the menu?

00:20We offer, we do a variation of various burgers, sorry, and hot dogs.

00:26We do vegan and vegetarian options on the menu.

00:29We've got uncold drinks and coffees, soft drinks.

00:33We've got alcohol-free drinks and then obviously we do alcohol as well.

00:36We serve alcohol after 11am through till midnight, well 11.30.

00:41Yeah. So the cafe's just opened today.

00:45Is it?

00:46Yeah, what's the process been like to set this up and get it all organic?

00:51No, it's been really hectic. Obviously it was a different setup here, it used to be a takeaway

00:56and we've had to convert it over and do all the decorating inside and everything

00:59to give it like a bit of a punky and hard rock feel about it.

01:04Yeah, yeah. What's the response been, have people on social media about this new...

01:12Oh yeah, there's been quite a lot of interest.

01:14We've had a lot of people, as we've been doing renovations and the work, you know, doing it up

01:18and then obviously we've had people dropping in and friends online and what have you,

01:22all interested in coming here. Obviously we're a bit early for them, it's like only early morning

01:27but, you know, we just got it set up for the early birds and then when it gets probably rolling

01:33after dinner time, we'll probably get people in having a little bit of a drink and a bit more of a burger

01:38and a chill out in a nice weather today.

01:40So what makes this cafe stand out from others in London?

01:44Oh, I think it just does it itself, you know, it's like when you look inside it's all been done out

01:49in a little bit of a different way to what most people have their cafes with all their posters and artwork

01:54which is related to the music. The only thing about the cafe is that alternative scene and the music

01:59and everything, rather than, you know, you can get a meal and you can come in and feel safe

02:03and comfortable and with our sort of music. It's for alternative people and, you know, the rock, hard rock

02:10and punk and stuff.

02:12Can you tell me a little bit more about this alternative scene?

02:21Well, you're getting the different types of music, you know, and the fashion and everything

02:25so you'll see, like, you'll get the goths or you'll get the punk rockers or you'll get the grunge people

02:30you know, emo's and you'll get the rock people so you'll get the real metal heads and people like that

02:35which is Scarlet's side of things so that's what we're catering for, those people that perhaps

02:40don't want to go and sit in a cafe that's not for them and they feel a little bit awkward when they're

02:45sat in a cafe. I get that myself, you know, if you're sat in a cafe and then we've got the LBTQ side

02:50as well that we want to cater for as well so people are comfortable coming in here and they know

02:54it's a safe environment for them.

02:57Do you feel that the LGBTQ is unrepresentative of other places?

03:06Maybe in the town centre, I mean there is, like, you've got, you know, you have got Lodge Street

03:10and what have you where there's a lot of sort of that, you know, the gay and LBTQ bars and what have you

03:15or hotels and things and we have a lot of friends in that scene but in the town centre it's a little bit

03:21I think a lot of bars are inclusive but sometimes you can still feel a little bit left out in a bar

03:26and a little bit uncomfortable, you know, you get maybe looked at or a little nervous behind you

03:30but in here you won't get that, you know.

03:33Do you have any, I know it's probably a bit early to ask this question as we've just opened today

03:37but do you have any future plans, anything that you'd like to do at the beach once with the business?

03:42Oh, just get massive. No, I mean, we're just happy to, like, hopefully do a little scene, you know,

03:49add to the scene because there's a little bit of an alternative scene in Blackpool already

03:53and we're just adding to that. It's just another venue for people to go and you're not just stuck to one or two places

03:59you can come somewhere else and hopefully we grow, you know.

04:02We've got upstairs, there's plenty of seating upstairs, we're hoping to get the bands will be coming live music

04:07and we're going to be doing DJs so that's all for the future but at the moment we've only got my small DJ PA

04:13we need to get a bit of a better band PA in and then the bands are already lining up, that's for sure.

04:18So we know promoters on all aspects of the music that we do and they're already lining up

04:22and we had offers for this weekend of PAs and things but it's just a little bit too early for us.

04:28We're just concentrating on getting ourselves settled in and going and then obviously that will follow

04:34and we'll definitely be doing that. There'll definitely be music on and bands and live music and DJs every weekend.

04:40So you're hoping it's going to be every weekend?

04:42Oh yeah, we'll be doing that once we get going, yeah.

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