Rising costs force closure of Stratford's Portuguese café Cork and Tile
THE award-winning café at the Fred Winter Centre in Stratford has closed, it has been announced.
Portuguese restaurant/café Cork and Tile said rising costs were behind the decision to close the venue in the Guild Street building.
However, the Fred Winter Centre Partnership said a café will continue to operate at the centre, which also houses a range of services to support people who are vulnerable, homeless or in need of advice.
In a statement the partnership said: “Our lead partner, and the manager of the Fred Winter Centre, Spring Housing has agreed to step in and support the ongoing provision of the café at the centre.”
Cork and Tile, which is also closing its Exeter branch, won the International Taste Award at this year’s Coventry and Warwickshire Foodie Awards.
Neil Perry, of Cork and Tile, said: “I can’t begin to tell you how proud we were to be associated with the Fred Winter Centre, we believe totally in the partnership that has been created and we saw first-hand the impact that the centre is having on the lives of people that access the centre.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to all of you that supported us along on our journey, not least the people of Stratford as we managed to get to number one on TripAdvisor in an incredibly short space of time and win a local award at the Warwickshire Food Awards, which was a really proud moment.”
The new community café is already up and running.
The £3million Fred Winter Centre opened its hub earlier this year, including a space for Stratford FoodBank, and in the summer saw its first homeless and vulnerable residents move into the apartments.
It’s official opening is due to take place in December.
