THE popular Teignmouth cafe, the Lemon Tree, is the latest business to fall victim to the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Having traded in Teignmouth for the last seven years, the Lemon Tree cited the rising costs of energy as the reason for their closure, stating that their expected energy costs this year were three to four times the amount that they were paying last year.
Kelly, owner of the cafe, said:
‘We have been here for 7 years now, and would love to continue for the next 7 and beyond, but it just isn’t meant to be.
‘I am so sorry to our wonderful customers, some of who have been with us from the beginning, and those who have joined us along the way! We have loved serving you, and your loyalty, support and friendship means so much to the whole team.We’ve adapted and overcome so much in the time that we’ve been here, but this latest challenge of energy prices in particular has just proven too much. We are expected to pay 3 to 4 times the amount we were paying a year ago, and for us, it’s not sustainable.
‘There’s only so far you can put prices up and pass rising costs onto your customers, and we feel that we have reached that limit. As many of you know, I have a family to look after, and as sad as this is, The Lemon Tree isn’t a viable option any longer to provide for my family.
‘The landlord is going to put the whole property up for sale now, but unfortunately that doesn’t include our little business, so I will be removing all equipment after we close. We are going to remain open until mid/end March, but this is dependant on having sufficient staff, as of course we must support them to find another job as a priority.
‘This could mean that we don’t have enough people to continue, but we promise we will as long as we can. Our fantastic team will continue to support each other as we move onto the final stages of the Lemon Tree. They really are the best.
‘Thank you for all the custom, love and support that you’ve given us, and I sincerely hope that you’ll continue to support us in the time that we have left.’