Hundreds flock to new cafe after 'whirlwind' takeover

Cafe Fika, previously known to locals as The Bakery, is now open in Burntwood, and is offering milkshakes, sandwiches and homemade cakes.

The cafe on High Street in Chasetown went up for sale and was snapped up by Louise Clarke and business partners Neal Clarke, Samantha Krucien and Dan Krucien.

Neal said: “It’s been a whirlwind – within a month we had taken over the business.

“The response we got from the public was brilliant – there’s a real community spirit.

“It’s been really good – people have been walking in and looking at the menus, so the feedback from the foot traffic has been really positive.”

Neal and Louise, who live in Burntwood, had no previous experience in the hospitality industry but had always dreamed of opening a cafe.

And the cafe’s opening day saw around 200 people visit for a free cake and hot drink.

Louise, 50, added: “We saw the cafe advertised, we weren’t really looking for one but Dan rang and let us know and we went down the next day to see it.

“We’ve had people come down, we’ve sent leaflets and posted on social media – a lot of people have come in and wished us well.”