The buttermarket cafe

The Butter Market Cafe.

Ian and Michaela
I first started working at the Butter Market cafe in November 2005, I started there after a friend recommended me, I was leaving a job I had little love for in a chip shop, as the new guy at the chip shop I was blamed for wrong orders and mistakes that were not my fault. Upon starting at the cafe I was given a lot more respect than at the chip shop as I was efficient and rarely got orders wrong. It was this that I think made me stay even through everything happening there.
The day I arrived I was told by one of the workers the motto of the cafe “ready steady ****”. I still think to this day I should have left then, but I did not. I found out that the motto was because a used condom was found in the toilet from where the owners had been having sex in the toilets. The cafe was a dirty place to work, the cook would put food containers, pans, lids and such on the floor only to pick them up and use them again without washing them. The cook would break down every week and say she was quitting and couldn’t handle it. People used to work without aprons and food would regally bought back cold as it was never checked, they were threatened to be shut down twice by the health board but got away with it. The cook (who was also the owner) would pull sick days on Saturdays because she couldn’t handle it and would leave me, at that time a 17 year old so not legally allowed to run a kitchen, in charge.
Eventually in 2006 they went bankrupt.

Joe and Rachel.
The cafe was then taken over by Joe and Rachel, two ladies that owned a clothes shop across from the cafe. These two had no idea about running a cafe and would just leave us to it and would lose money from over spending. Within a short time they had given the cafe over as the impending bankruptcy loomed.

Sarah.
The cafe was sold then to Mrs Sarah Harris and her husband, who was at the time the head of a doorman company. Sarah quickly changed the kitchen from a horribly grimy place to work into a clean and enjoyable environment. Most of the staff was replaced by more trained staff and others left, in fact since I had arrived there I was the only one of the staff left except for Val who we all call gran as she is like a nice Granny.
The food became hot and to the health regulation’s temperature, aprons were worn, health hygiene was enforced and cleaning rota’s were bought in, whereas before none of this was done.
Working there became more enjoyable, everyone gets along and the food is good, the business even better, the work party’s were always good and Sarah a very understanding boss. We rarely get complaints anymore and there are a lot of regulars who enjoy the same thing over and over again.
Sarah still currently owns the cafe and hopes to do so for many years.