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The owner of a vegan donut shop near Bristol Temple Meads says economic uncertainty, high inflation and sky-high rents mean her business currently “has no choice but to keep going.”

Kay Stanley sells a range of vegan donuts, bagels and locally roasted coffee at her bright and colorful cafe, Future Donuts, located under the arches on Oxford Street. In response to the closure of several local vegan restaurants last week, Kay, who co-founded the shop with Andrew Horne, took to Instagram to share some of the difficulties the business is facing and to point out that while some independent restaurants may appear to be thriving, the truth is often much more complicated.

In her post, Kay said: “There are a number of reasons you’re not seeing more businesses close right now: they may not be able to afford to break their lease or make loan payments, they may have reserves from previous years, you might be lucky enough to have personal savings or other more successful businesses to keep you afloat.

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“They could be living off a partner’s salary; they may have buried their heads in the sand or are holding on for dear life (and who can blame them), they may not really know what else to do but move on.

“Our sales are down 38 percent compared to last year, our ingredient costs are up, and we are paying staff more. Due to the length of our lease and loan payments, we have no choice but to move on.”

The post received a great deal of support from customers and other local businesses. Still, Kay said bristol live that deciding to be so honest about her circumstances hadn’t been easy.

She said: “I’ve been sitting on it for a while thinking, ‘how transparent should you be?’ We employ seven people here, and I don’t want them to think they’re going to lose their jobs.

“You don’t want people to think you’re a lost cause either, and because it’s also not something that can change overnight, it’s likely just going to be a fight for an unknown amount of time, but don’t.” I want to keep saying you’re fighting because people get tired.”

Kay said she was finally moved to share her experience when OM Burger and Jafra Kitchen announced the closure of their Gloucester Road locations last week. She explained: “That seemed so unexpected to people, but the reality is that if we had a break in our lease, right now, I think we’d probably take it because sales have gone down a lot. And it got me thinking about other reasons why people keep traveling.

As a vegan business owner, Kay said she is acutely aware of how the plant-based food scene in Bristol has changed during the cost of living crisis and is concerned that as rents become increasingly prohibitive, the city may begin to lose some of the less conventional. merchants and spaces that attract visitors.

She said: “Bristol has a great reputation as a really good city for vegans. I don’t think it’s a case of a saturated market; With all these small businesses their strength is how different they are and how there is something for everyone, whether you want Persian mezze or want a dirty burger, or want to do a BBQ we are so lucky to have many things catered for.

“I used to think that for every one that closes, two will open, but now I think that in Bristol, because of the rental prices, there is a real risk (of losing variety and choice). I think you will get more like the companies only do street trade and appear where the overheads are smaller or they only engage in delivery.”

However, having a physical space is integral to how Future Donuts operates, and one way Kay has adapted is by opening it up for local clubs and events. She said, “When we opened, we wanted to have a real purpose with how the space felt. I wanted it to be a very colorful, really unpretentious, cartoony donut shop.”

The interior is designed by artist Max Kemp and is both kid and dog friendly with ample seating, step-free access and easy-to-move tables for either the weekly parent/caregiver and baby sessions held every Wednesdays at 11:00. am or the Dungeons and Dragons group that hosts games there on the last Sunday of every month.

Kay said, “We’ve always liked groups and clubs to meet here. It’s free to come and have a few tables. We’ll cut a deal for people who come if it’s a regular group, and the host gets a free donut and coffee.”

He’s also started doing more events, both private and public, including donut-decorating workshops with an upcoming Easter session taking place on Sunday, April 2, as well as branching out into acoustic concerts, sober socials, and even a late-night collaboration. of vegan hot dogs with Little Martha. Brewing, a few arches down.

In addition to this, Kay has introduced changes to reduce costs and improve efficiency, such as mixing the dough in larger batches every other day to reduce electricity use, but he said that despite running at a bare minimum, the fate of companies like the yours seems to be out of place. his control

One change that she believes would have a significant positive impact would be a reduction in hospitality VAT to 10% from the current rate of 20% for people who eat on site. A government petition on the subject received 16,291 signatures, and Kay thinks that as the cost-of-living crisis continues, this change could mean the difference between survival and closure for many businesses in the coming months.

She said: “We’ve gone into survival mode where it’s just about taking care of this place, taking care of the staff, making sure we can make our business loan payments. It’s not sustainable, but we are running on reserves, which is not it is a long term solution.

“I just love being part of the Bristol food scene – it’s been like a dream for me to run a small cafe. Future Donuts ended up being so much bigger than I thought it would be, and it’s also so much more fun and rewarding But the risk He’s older too.”

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