KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Saffa Bru at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm closes after seven months of trading

By: Oliver Leonard oleonard@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 10:57, 25 January 2024

A South African-inspired restaurant at a popular tourist spot has closed.

The Saffa Bru served its first customer at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm just seven months ago but now its unit sits vacant. It is hoped a new vendor will take it on.

The space in the two upcycled shipping containers is now waiting to be filled. Picture: Keaton Randall

Owner Keaton Randall has been a chef for 12 years and told KentOnline in May that the two upcycled shipping containers, which the space is made up of, were a “great opportunity”.

The unit is home to both a street food-style service hatch and an indoor seating area.

Despite the closure, bosses at the Folkestone Harbour & Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) – which owns the popular harbour arm – are hoping a new business will take it over.

mpu1

General manager Paulo Kingston-Correia said: “Industry-wide in the UK, 60% of restaurants will fail within the first year. A further 80% won’t make it past three – five years.

“At Folkestone Harbour, however, it is a very different story.

The owner of Saffa Bru, Keaton Randall, has closed the business on Folkestone's Harbour Arm after just seven months. Picture: Keaton Randall

“The vast majority of those who have traded on our site either continue to trade for many years, expand and open new businesses on site or grow into a brick-and-mortar premises in town.

“Whilst we’re always sad to see traders leave, we’re equally excited to see what exciting new offering will come in its place.”

Thousands of people visit the harbour arm every year, following a huge multi million-pound renovation project in 2016.

It is now home to restaurants, a food and drink market, bars, a market, rides and mini golf. It also attracts the crowd with its outdoor screen, which shows films and sports events for free.

The business offered South African-inspired cuisine. Picture: Keaton Randall

The Saffa Bru unit is one of several opportunities harbour bosses are welcoming applications for at the moment.

In October, the huge and blue Big Greek Bus closed after eight years of serving customers on the arm.

Bosses at the bus confirmed they would be embarking on “something very new” but remained tight-lipped on their future plans.

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024