11/12/2025
After a lot of sleepless nights and heart-breaking conversations between us all, we’ve made the decision to close.
This isn’t because the love wasn’t there. It was. Every single day. From the queues at Tailgate. The party for Division 24, the sold-out weekends, the arcade lunch break battles, the people travelling in from other towns just for a sandwich. You showed up. You really did.
But then there were days we made less than £40.
But the reality is brutal:
the cost of ingredients, utilities, rent, staffing, Epos systems, take-away providers’ extortionate fees, BID-Levies that provide little else than actual council services and a little awards show once a year to pat themselves on the back — so just existing as a small independent business has climbed to a point that simply isn’t sustainable anymore. We’ve stretched, adapted, cut, simplified, found cheaper suppliers and fought but the reality of it outweighs a dream of being a really cool Sarnie shop in Wakefield.
We have helped sustain ourselves by borrowing from our other projects which also now need urgent care.
Because this is bigger than just us.
Wakefield is at a crossroads. If we don’t actively protect and support our independent cafés, bars, restaurants, venues and shops, we risk becoming nothing more than a commuter belt. A car park for Leeds. A place people sleep, not somewhere they live.
Independent hospitality isn’t a luxury — it’s culture. It’s jobs, creativity, community, and identity. It’s in our fu***ng name “the merrie city”
Once it’s gone, it doesn’t magically come back. Because who’s going to take a punt on cool things when all that’s left is Greggs, Costa, Wetherspoon’s and Pop-world and a bunch of pawn shops.
If you love the places that give this city its soul:
• Use them.
• Talk about them.
• Choose them when you can.
Because right now, they need you more than ever.
Vanilla Bean, 616 Comics, Kraft, RBT Video, Elliot’s, O’Conners, Jose’s, Good Fortunes, Gyros Bros, Iris, Smokehouse, Qubana, Hilton Lounge, Black Horse, Coffee Write, No Manches, Dungeons & Doughnuts, Silver Spice, Pot Pot, Jam Lounge, Now Serving, Hop, Harry’s, Supperclub, Inns of Court, just to name a few
