Cafe Allez! : our current position during the pandemic

Tuesday 17 March 2020

Mark

1.12.21

By way of an update: we continue to open 7 days per week at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle, opening at 9:30 daily and closing 4pm weekdays, 4:30pm weekends.

You can still order online on the day of your visit at www.cafeallez.uk … or you are welcome to order in person from our friendly counter team.

We have plentiful outdoor seating. We also have a large, enclosed gazebo with heating, although we have to take this down on days when high winds are forecast.

No need to book: you’re assured of a warm welcome whenever you visit.

Parking is free for your first hour. Or indefinitely if you come on foot, by bike or on horseback…

17.5.21

May 17th: a big day for us all as lockdown restrictions ease further.

Here at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle we continue largely as before… in other words:

– We open 7 days per week: 9:30am to 4pm weekdays and 9:30am to 4:30pm weekends.

– There’s free and plentiful parking for your first hour.

– We’re available for takeaway or we have extensive outdoor seating … no need to book!

– You can order in person from our friendly team behind our safe perspex screen, or you can ‘click and collect’ on the day of your visit: our full menu, including drinks, is available to order from at www.cafeallez.uk .

– Our large gazebos are sited next to the cafe to offer shelter and we hope to have these in place a little longer subject to agreement from our friends and landlords at Belvoir Castle.

– As long as social distancing measures are in place it won’t be possible to re-open our building for indoor seating. We’re also conscious that doing so could impact our ability to serve you quickly during busy days so we’re keeping this under review.

As always, our simple aim is to make your day better, whether you’re a local, a cyclist, a walker, or visiting the amazing Belvoir Castle – which, by the way, opens its doors to visitors again today! We love what we do and that’s why we source local, high quality produce and serve it with passion and skill.

Join us for breakfast, lunch, a cream tea – or just for a coffee. After all, we’re so confident that we make a simple promise: love our coffee as much as we do, or your money back!

Can’t wait to see you soon…

12.4.21

We continue to open 7 days per week: 10 ’til 4:30 weekdays, 9 ’til 4:30 weekends. In line with national lockdown easing, our outdoor picnic benches are now available for you to enjoy again – we also have covered seating adjacent to the coffee shop at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle in case of rain.

As before, you’re welcome to order in advance online on the day of your visit at www.cafeallez.uk – just come up to the fast-track internet order queue on arrival and we’ll get to work on your drinks and food. Or you can order in safety at our counter with our friendly team, through our perspex screen.

Per new legislation, we’ll be asking each member of your party 16 years of age or over to check in when you visit – you can do so using the NHS app (we have quickscan codes at the point of ordering and at all tables), or using our paper forms.

Can’t wait to see you soon!

5.3.21

Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle is now open again, effective Monday 8th March, for takeaway sales. The lockdown measures have now been eased sufficiently to enable this, including the fact that we can now meet one person (not from our own household) outside for a coffee in a public place. This also means that, now, cafe stops are permitted for cyclists and for other forms of exercise.

As before, we open 7 days per week: 10am-4pm weekdays and 9am-4pm weekends.

If all goes to plan, we also look forward to welcoming those travelling from further afield from 29th March onwards, assuming the ‘stay at home’ message is relaxed as planned then.

All the measures to keep you safe during your visit are in place as before: we actively welcome all forms of cashless payment; you won’t have to have any face-to-face contact with our staff; you can queue outside to place and receive your order in a socially-distanced fashion; or you’re welcome to ‘click and collect’ by paying and ordering online prior to your visit: https://goodeats.io/cafeallezbelvoircastle

5.1.21

Sorry to say that today was our last day at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle for a little while.

The new lockdown means that, with regret, we need to close: the ‘stay at home’ message is very clear now, as it was in March. With travel for exercise or recreation now banned and with the need to protect the NHS and each other so obvious, we have no option.

There’s a big difference to the March lockdown and our closure then, however: this time, there’s a way out of this, with vaccinations rolling out at encouraging speed. So as soon as restrictions are lifted, we will be back.

We will miss you, our customers immensely. And we will miss our amazing, talented team.

We’ll keep you up to date here on Facebook and on our website and we may have a few surprises for you when we re-open!

Do, please, stay safe and healthy for this, the final push…

30.12.20

As our counties move into Tier 4, we can confirm that Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle can and will continue to offer a takeaway service, just as before.

This will of course mean that our seating will remain out of bounds. All of the Covid-safe measures you’ve been used to with us in recent months will continue and, just as before, you are welcome to order in person, outdoors in our socially-distanced queue, or online at www.cafeallez.uk .

We re-open to welcome you at 10am prompt on Friday: New Year’s Day!.

20.12.20

The recent announcement that our region is to remain in Tier 3 means that Cafe Allez! continues to open, as before, as a takeaway service. This means that we still can’t erect our marquee to provide indoor seating and heating (it’s on standby and in storage though!) … . It also means that our outdoor seating continues to be out of bounds. This is unfortunate, but the law (not guidance!) is very clear and states that even seating on land adjacent to our premises can’t be used by our customers to eat or drink at, at this time.

We strive to offer fantastic produce, made with care and skill by a team who aim to lift your spirits and offer you a daily treat. Our service model might have had to change, but those things are constants! – as is our amazing setting in the Vale of Belvoir.

26.11.20

Folks, you too may be surprised that we’ve been placed into Tier 3 at Belvoir for the 2 week period from 2nd to 16th December.

For us at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle, we thus continue as before as a take-out facility. Sadly, for a little longer, our new marquee continues to gather dust in storage and our outdoor seating remains out of bounds.

On the positive side, we will continue to greet you with a smile and fine produce, 7 days per week. You can still place your order in person, or you can ‘click and collect’ if you wish at www.cafeallez.uk.

These are testing times but it feels like we have a path through this now. If in some small way we – and our beautiful surroundings – can brighten your day, then our mission is complete.

You can of course help us to help you by keeping up the social distancing when queuing; bringing your card or ‘phone to pay with where possible; and following the latest guidelines and rules when you’re with us – click here to read them: https://www.gov.uk/…/local-restriction-tiers-what-you…

We will be bringing you some exciting news soon as we launch our Christmas menu.

Stay positive, and above all, stay safe – Team Allez!.

4.11.20

Cafe Allez! WILL continue to open, 7 days per week, during the new lockdown. Per legislation, we will be for takeaway only. So the outdoor seating will be out of bounds and the beautiful marquees we took delivery of on Monday go into storage, hopefully just for 4 weeks!.

Opening hours remain as always: 10-4 weekdays, 9-4 weekends.

Many of the things we enjoy will be on hold for a while, but we believe our mission is to offer a daily treat that will absolutely include a smile and a warm welcome and, depending on your preferences, may include the finest coffee we can offer you; one of our delicious cakes; the best hot chocolate in the Vale; our legendary breakfast cobs; home-baked fruit or cheese scones; a freshly made baguette; our home-made soup of the day, or even an ice cream for you or your dog!.

We take every step possible to keep you safe and comfortable during your visit. We have socially distanced outdoor queueing with a solid screen between you and our staff. You can continue to order and pay online if you prefer at www.cafeallez.uk – just choose your ideal collection time and don’t worry, we make your drinks and hot food fresh to order when you arrive so if you’re a little late that’s fine!. And we have our 5 star food hygiene ‘scores on the doors’ rating underpinning everything we do.

This time around, travel for recreation and exercise is permitted, so why not take advantage of our free walking routes or cycling routes… or simply come and enjoy the view and our welcome, and we promise to make your day just a little better.

There is no charge and no need for a ticket for parking of 1 hour or less. And if you have time, some of the stores at the Engine Yard remain open including The Country Victualler and The Idle Mole.

Thanks for your support and stay safe…

Team Allez!

29.10.20

To clarify, Belvoir is not in Nottinghamshire and therefore not subject to / moving to Tier 3 (or Tier 2) restrictions at this time. We continue to open 7 days per week, 10-4pm weekdays, 9-4pm weekends. We also continue to offer a safe and relaxed coffee shop experience, with plentiful outdoor seating and the choice of ordering ‘in person’ through our perspex serving screen or ordering & paying online so you can ‘click and collect’.

We are also working on exciting plans to offer shelter and heating during the Autumn and Winter at a time when it would still be challenging to open the doors to our (small!) building to you, our customers. Watch this space!… and hopefully see you soon…

23.9.20.

Here’s how Cafe Allez! will be keeping you safe, comfortable and entirely refreshed following the new government Covid rules:

1. If you’ve visited us since re-opening in May you’ll know that we offer the safest, most secure coffee shop experience possible – albeit with a lack of shelter – and we’re working on that!. The socially distanced queueing in the fresh air without the need to come into the shop or be face-to-face with our staff continues just as before.

2. The new requirement for table service is only applicable for licensed premises, hence point 1.

3. In recent days you will have noticed our ‘check in’ station whereby we ask you to complete a very simple form to support the NHS ‘test and trace’ program. Starting tomorrow, you can also ‘check in’ by scanning a QR code on your ‘phone, once you’ve downloaded the NHS COVID-19 app.

4. We ask that you respect the ‘rule of six’ as we are liable now as a business if you don’t. So when meeting with people you don’t live with (or who you have not formed a support bubble with) you can socialise in groups of up to 6. If your household (and/or support bubble) is larger than 6 people, this is your largest permitted group and you cannot meet as a group with any additional people.

Please, continue to maintain social distancing with anyone you do not live with: avoid mingling with anyone outside the group you are with, even if you see other people you know.

5. You can expect our team, when taking or delivering your order, to be wearing face coverings. This might seem a little over the top considering we’re behind a solid screen, but this is mandatory as of tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and if you ever have any suggestions as to how we can improve our service further, please, get in touch any time…

4.7.20. Please see our most recent Blog post for details, but in essence: we continue to operate, as we have since 16th May, primarily as a take-away at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle, but now with our outdoor seating re-instated on the lawn next to the visitor car park. We firmly believe this is the best way to ensure the safety of yourselves (our customers) and our team whilst enabling us to deliver the quality service, coffee, cakes and more that you deserve. We hope to see you soon!.

16.5.20. We’re delighted to announce that today, we re-open Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle as a takeaway facility. We feel that the time is right, since restrictions on travel have been lifted by the government. We also had a tremendously positive response to a survey we put out locally.

We’ve put a good deal of effort into designing a safe and easy service. Unfortunately, the rules at this time only permit a service for consumption ‘off the premises’ – and premises is defined as ‘adjacent land’ right now – so you’ll find no outdoor seating in our vicinity.

What you will find, however, is:

A very safe system, with socially distanced queuing enabled and zero contact with our staff: we’ve erected a perspex screen, so you will be served through that at the front door. Hand sanitizer is freely available for you.
Contactless payment is strongly encouraged, although we do have a safe system for handling cash if cards are really not an option for you.
Our take-out menu includes most of our previous menu including breakfast cobs, baguettes, ice cream and – of course! – our legendary 200 Degrees coffees and home-baked cakes.
All of this is available for you to pre-order and pay for online ready for collection at a time to suit you, via our new web ordering system. We’ll post a Blog article about this to go along with our Facebook instructional video launching today. The system is safe and secure and can be found at : https://goodeats.io/cafeallezbelvoircastle

We’re operating slightly reduced opening hours as we bed the new service in: open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, 10am to 4pm.

We really look forward to seeing you soon!

21.3.20 10:20pm. With regret, today will be our last trading day at Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle until further notice. Thank you so much to all of you for your custom and tremendous support and thank you to our incredible team who have achieved so much in such a short space of time.

The government’s advice is clear: to beat this thing, we should stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel. We want to play our tiny part in getting us all through this crisis quickly and keeping our team, and our customers, safe and well.

In saying this we certainly will never judge any businesses that reach a different conclusion, based on different circumstances.

There are still so many reasons to visit Belvoir. The Engine Yard remains open and we’d suggest a visit there will be a more pleasurable and fruitful way to get your provisions than the supermarket might offer at this time.

We at Cafe Allez! are here for the good times. The good times will, undoubtedly, return. When they do, we will be so looking forward to welcoming you back.

With love and best wishes – Mark & Claire.

20.3.20, 10pm: We wanted to let you know our plans for Cafe Allez! Belvoir Castle following today’s announcement that all cafes, restaurants, pubs etc. are to close.

The government has permitted take-out sales to continue. After much thought, we have decided that we should follow suit, offering only take-out sales of our drinks and food.

We are fortunate to have Van Henri, from where we can take your orders and make your take-out coffee. Food orders will then be brought out to you by our staff in takeaway packaging.

In so doing, we can’t offer you any shelter, but we can offer you the opportunity to queue in the open air and to respect social distancing.

We’ll start tomorrow, opening at 10am and this is on a trial basis and subject to change.

The Castle is opening its grounds only this weekend (with free admission for kids). We’ll entirely respect your decision if that is to heed the government’s advice and limit your travel, but we’d be delighted to see you otherwise.

Hand washing facilities are in the toilet block which will remain open. The Engine Yard Retail Village also remains open.

We’d encourage contact-less payment at this time.

Our warmest best wishes are with you at this time.