So this is where I work on weekends now. It used to be the location of Abbey Gardens Tea Parlour, a Victorian, formal tea house. Now it's a more casual, country cafe where you can go for tea without all the formality. We still do a full tea, with the little sandwiches, scones, petite desserts, lace tablecloth and centerpiece, and organic loose-leaf teas. The charm of it is that it's more male-friendly so families can gather here now, or couples, and the men can get coffee or good tea without having to be surrounded by pink, lace, and fine china. (There's even a men's room now.)
The new owner is really sweet. She's part of the team to get the job done, and has a heart for people that really draws others to her. The other employees are mostly her old friends, so it's a different environment than if a bunch of strangers got together to work their own agendas. I'm a server and the chef is my friend I worked with when it was Abbey Gardens. We can help implement systems and routines that help things run smoother, while being able to shed the old familiar saying "we do it that way because that's how we've always done it". The changes are good, although a few women don't want to see the place full of guys, they say. But I think as word gets out, it'll be a great little place. So far, we've had back a handful of our old customers and they plan on becoming Front Porch's customers.
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