THE Vale of Glamorgan Council is opening a café at Penarth Pier Pavilion as plans for the iconic building start taking shape.
Operated by the council’s Big Fresh Catering Company, the café will offer a range of drinks, including own-brand coffee blends, and a menu featuring locally-sourced ingredients where possible, from tomorrow, Friday, March 26.
Items will initially be available on a take-away only basis, with space for customers inside once restrictions allow.
The café will adopt a no single-use plastic policy and extensive upgrading work has taken place ready to welcome customers from Friday.
As part of this, benches and tables outside the café will shortly be removed for refurbishment before being reinstated once this is completed.
Established in 2019, the Big Fresh Catering Company was set up to be a self-sustaining commercial operation that provides nutritious meals for Vale school pupils without relying on council subsidy.
Also catering for functions and outdoor gatherings through a mobile Airstream truck, this will be the latest venture for the company.
The Vale council says running the café in this way has the advantage of contributing to the upkeep of the Pavilion and directly benefiting pupils as all surpluses generated will go towards creating healthy school lunches.
The council recently took over the management of Penarth Pier Pavilion after previous operators Penarth Arts and Crafts Ltd (PACL) surrendered its lease.
Cllr Lis Burnett, Vale of Glamorgan Council cabinet member for regeneration and education, said: “A lot of maintenance and refurbishment work has taken place already since the Council took over management of the pavilion. The opening of this café represents the next step in our plan to re-establish this building as a go-to community destination.
“We also have plenty of other ideas in the pipeline, while people can share their views on how the pavilion can operate for the community by visiting the Council website or taking part in the consultation when visiting the café on the pier itself.
“Not only will the café offer a variety of high-calibre food and drink, every penny spent there will directly benefit local children as profits will be invested in their school meals service.”
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