Closure of Cafe Oop

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 06 Sep 2003, 15:34

Very sad to read of the closure of Cafe Oop in the Portobello Reporter. It opened just after I moved to Portobello and I was hopeful that it was a sign for the future. But no, it was just another false dawn.

My commiserations to the owners - your cafe was a real contribution to Portobello.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 07 Sep 2003, 13:49

Agree entirely but having said that I'm sure a lot of people must have been taken aback at the wording of the ad in the current issue of the Reporter. I can understand the owner's disappointment but was this really necessary?

I do not accept that "clearly Portobello is not ready for somewhere to enjoy a good coffee or quality food in a pleasant environment." Kitcheners seems to do well enough, as does the Blue Bean Cafe. From all accounts the weekend dinner menu at Oop! was very popular and highly rated. The daytime trade is clearly a different kettle of poisson. Most schoolkids (sadly) just want junk food but if serving chips with curry sauce helps to balance the books then why not? The Thai restaurant in Musselburgh serves egg 'n' chips by day to subsidise its business. Local shop and office workers have to be catered for as well, so why not give them what they want, whatever that may be.

As a foodie I'm disappointed that Cafe Oop! is closing but I think there is now an excellent business oppportunity for someone to take it on as a restaurant and prove Mr Cavaye wrong. If someone doesn't open that seafood bistro soon I might just have to do it myself!

mcphaig · Post by **mcphaig** » 12 Sep 2003, 00:18

Very sorry to see the closure of another local business in Portobello, and I believe that the Friday and Saturday evening meals were very good.

However I have to say that I believe that their lack of success was mainly due to the bad marketing. Were they are a cafÃƒÂ© or were they a restaurant? They were badly situated where they were as they did not stand out from the other shops in the street. They did not highlight the cafÃƒÂ© from the main road! Did they advertise? I was certainly not inundated with leaflets! I would say (and some will disagree) that we do not have a good quality restaurant (apart from Chinese and Indian) who supplies good food in the evening.

I agree with Bob that I believe there is an excellent business opportunity for a quality restaurant in Portobello and IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m looking forward to Bob opening his Seafood Bistro Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Book me in for the first night!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 12 Sep 2003, 19:12

I'm sure that Charles will appreciate all this advice on how he should have run his restaurant! The good news, however, is that rumour suggests that it may well be sold as a going concern, so perhaps the new owners will get the formula right.

People are prepared to travel to the most inacessible places for quality food (The Three Chimneys on Skye?) and word of mouth is often the best form of advertising in this business but whoever takes it on will have to maximise their daytime takings as well. The trade is there, but you have to cater for it.

In the meantime, unless I win the lottery over the weekend, you may have to wait a bit longer for that lobster dinner on the Promenade, but I'll accept your hypothetical booking and I assume you will want a table by the window?

Mamma · Post by **Mamma** » 13 Sep 2003, 13:20

Rumour has it that OOP may continue running under new management, but as a family-focussed cafe open into the evenings. What do people think?

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 18 Sep 2003, 14:20

I must say i was extremely taken aback when i saw the Oop! notice in the Reporter, as i felt it was in very poor taste and not at all fair. When Oop! opened, a great deal of their immediate success was based on their child-friendliness, with a good children's menu and a play area. Nearly all the people I know who used Oop! were parents of small children who were very grateful for somewhere to go that was so obviously welcoming for children and also provided good food. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line that policy was changed and parents of small children were made to feel less welcome than before. The last time I was there, I noticed that the children's area was simply curtained off with toys still visible - an impossible situation to take a two-year-old into! You can not build up a business with a particular clientele, then decide you want rid of that clientele and then decide that you're unhappy with the entire clientele when it doesn't work! The notice was very offensive to many of us, and as has been said, Kitcheners and the Blue Bean are both very nice places to go for food or a coffee - when i first moved here one of the things I loved about porty was the abundance of cafes which cater to all sorts of tastes. I think if it were to open as a child-friendly place again many people would continue to support the new venture. Sorry for the rant!

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » 25 Sep 2003, 20:42

I have a friend who works at Oop! and from what she has heard apperentlyOOp is to be taken over an kept running as the same kind of cafe/retaurant idea but with a stronger focus on the restaurant/bistro. It will close for a few weeks maybe months and should open again early winter.

If anyone knows anything else about this I would be interested in hearing from them.

Rachel

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 25 Sep 2003, 21:20

Rachel

I spoke to the new owner today. She is a registered forum user so I think we can expect to hear about her plans in the near future. Sounds like it is going to be child-friendly, which is great news for those of us with kids. Watch this space!

Mamma · Post by **Mamma** » 25 Sep 2003, 22:15

As Bob said, I am hoping to take over cafe OOP and open at the beginning of November as a family-friendly cafe open each day from 9am through to about 8pm with meals in the early evening. The aim is to create a place which people can rely on to be open every day, for most of the day, to be welcoming and comfortable, and to serve really good food! Watch this space......

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 30 Sep 2003, 09:58

Mamma,
I'll tell all my friends - they are currently hovering between disappointment that Oop! is closing and anger at the advertisement - they'll be pleased to know the plans and will give you all their support. Good luck - I look forward to trundling over as soon as you open

.
Paula

scossie5 · Post by **scossie5** » 04 Oct 2003, 11:47

Mamma - that's really good news - we will definitely be checking out your new ideas come November. Good luck with your venture, sounds like the very thing that Porty needs, but I haven't got the nous (or talent) to put into action!

gillsmith · Post by **gillsmith** » 19 Oct 2003, 09:52

Yes, I totally agree with Paula's comments regarding the changed attitude at Oop towards children. We used to meet there regularly in the afternoons with our babies but were made to feel less welcome (and quite disgusted with the lack of nappy changing facilities in a child-friendly place). The big "no pram" signs were a bit over the top as the place was often very quiet when we met up and without our prams (which could all be folded up anyway) we wouldn't have been there! Eventually we pretty much stopped going there in the afternoons.

However we were sad to hear of its closure as it was a place we enjoyed going to at the beginning with good coffee and food. You could always count on an excellent bowl of soup there which is admirable as so often soup is a disappointment in restaurants!

I hope the new owner will maintain the high quality food and coffee (very important to my husband and me!) but also provide facilities for nappy changing if families are the target market. My husband's main problem with the place was their choice of music!

Looking forward to the opening of the new place - is a new name planned?

Mamma · Post by **Mamma** » 21 Oct 2003, 20:47

The new cafe will open on November 8th as The Macaroni Penguin. We look forward to welcoming anybody and everybody who appreciates good food and coffee in a welcoming place.

Dave Connelly · Post by **Dave Connelly** » 26 Oct 2003, 17:08

GOOD LUCK WITH THE NEW VENTURE
HOPEFULLY IT WILL SPARK A BIT OF ENTHUSIASM AND COMMUNITY IN THE AREA.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 26 Oct 2003, 19:56

So, Mamma, how about an introductory opening week offer for 'Portobello Online' forum users? For example, how about a free coffee, providing that they use the phrase 'Portobello Online' when they order? And in return we will paste a picture of a macaroni penguin below:

Mamma · Post by **Mamma** » 17 Nov 2003, 12:58

Unfortunately the lease of the cafe fell through at the VERY last minute with no warning. Thanks for all the support, I hope to open the cafe in Porty one day, reasonable landlords allowing!

Burt Toast · Post by **Burt Toast** » 27 Nov 2003, 21:35

Didn't the Oop landlord run the last effort before it had to close ? a-hem...a great shame this new cafe has fallen through, we were looking forward to checking it out.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 09 Jan 2004, 23:07

Hi all

have just found this place so thought I'd add my comments to the Oop saga

I went there, enthusiastically at first, as another cafe meant more chance of finding an available seat and enjoying a coffee. I have to say that my enthusiasm didn't last long as, IMHO, the service was very slow and generally less than satisfactory from day one. My guess is that many people felt the same way and gradually stopped going and never re-started when Oop began their evening venture.

So yes, Portobello wasn't ready to wait at least 15mins to be served when they are the only customers there

But good luck to anyone who may try again

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 18 Oct 2004, 18:16

The premises have recently been bought over and I noticed signs on the windows today offering chairs, tables etc. for sale.
I wonder what it's going to be used for now? Anyone heard anything?

CatzVP · Post by **CatzVP** » 19 Oct 2004, 08:14

Ecm.... where exactly is this cafe?? im way out of the loop

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 19 Oct 2004, 10:21

it's on Brighton Place - beside the Opticians and the kilt hire place

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 19 Oct 2004, 11:55

ecm wrote:The premises have recently been bought over and I noticed signs on the windows today offering chairs, tables etc. for sale.
I wonder what it's going to be used for now? Anyone heard anything?

I've heard that it's going to be.........wait for it...........baited breath.......another........ INDIAN RESTAURANT/takeaway

Gosh, we don't have many of those ......

Post by **wangi** » 19 Oct 2004, 12:00

At least it's not another Chinese!

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 19 Oct 2004, 12:06

Pity, a Thai take away would have been very welcome

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 19 Oct 2004, 12:09

Epykat wrote:
ecm wrote:The premises have recently been bought over and I noticed signs on the windows today offering chairs, tables etc. for sale.
I wonder what it's going to be used for now? Anyone heard anything?
I've heard that it's going to be.........wait for it...........baited breath.......another........ INDIAN RESTAURANT/takeaway

Gosh, we don't have many of those ......

You can never have enough Indian food. I'll be having the Zantac Madras with a side order of Gaviscon Aloo. I wonder if they serve coffee, and if there will be nibbles for the takeaway customers.

I want to be customer no. 1.

Epy - did you never go along to the (sadly closed) Indian just along from you? They were nice people.

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 19 Oct 2004, 12:23

No, by the time I got round to it they were gone! Looks suspiciously like they're going to open it up as something else though - probably along the same lines - does nobody cook in this town?

(says the woman who took her oven out to fit in a dishwasher!!!)

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 19 Oct 2004, 16:30

A sit-in Indian would be nice. I haven't been to an Indian restaurant for ages.
We miss the Datta too - the food was great and as Dada said, the people there were lovely.

Getting hungry just thinking about it all now.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 19 Oct 2004, 17:20

the Datta was Dada's favourite restuarant

one night, I wanted Chinese and he wanted Indian so we went our separate ways. My food was ready first so I strolled along to the Datta. There sat Dada, waiting in happy anticipation of his lovely food, drinking a coffee (his next favourite thing after Asian food) and chatting to the family. He was sooooooo happy

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 11 Nov 2004, 15:22

Well, bringing this back up, looks like Epykat was definitely right - there's a sign in the window about a license application for a restaurant.
I don't mind too much having another restuarant, but I do miss Oop as it was... We could do with more nice places to get a coffee, especially now we're all apparently unwelcome in the BB.
(BTW, the linguist in me can't help but wonder why everyone's always called it "Oops" or "Oop's" cafe? I've never heard ayone say The Blue Bean's cafe!)

Jay · Post by **Jay** » 11 Nov 2004, 18:21

Bellybabe wrote:(BTW, the linguist in me can't help but wonder why everyone's always called it "Oops" or "Oop's" cafe? I've never heard ayone say The Blue Bean's cafe!)

I would guess because just saying 'Oop' sounds as if you'd hiccoughed.

Actually, even just saying 'Oops' could be misconstrued!

teddygirl · Post by **teddygirl** » 11 Nov 2004, 23:33

I heard the other day that the now closed Datta is going to be a Pizza takeaway/ sit in establishment. Now that's what Portobello really needs

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 13 Mar 2005, 11:43

Noticed the former Cafe Oop being given a bit of a facelift yesterday.

Wonder if it will be an Indian restaurant and if it will turn out to be as successful as Sizzlers?

DG · Post by DG » 13 Mar 2005, 12:00

Fingers crossed! It would be great to have more successful eating facilities here

DG

MrSpoon · Post by **MrSpoon** » 13 Mar 2005, 15:14

If we are getting nice eating places, bring on a nice/modern bar! Dalriada is good, but there's no bar in Portobello I'd go to. I want something fancy and contemporary!

Maria · Post by **Maria** » 13 Mar 2005, 15:30

Check out this thread MrSpoon Old Pier revamp.

Talk Porty ~ Portobello

Closure of Cafe Oop

Closure of Cafe Oop

Closure of Cafe Oop!

OOP OOP and away!

All it is not lost re: CafÃƒÂ© Oop!

OOP!

OOP

GOOD LUCK

Macaroni Penguin