Popular Sheffield city centre tea rooms Andrews Café closes on Chapel Walk

A popular Sheffield city centre tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.
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Andrews Café tea rooms on Chapel Walk has now permanently shut, with its windows whitewashed, after business levels failed to pick up to pre-lockdown levels.

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Today, it was confirmed that the business had now gone into liquidation.

Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.
Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.
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The café, close to Tudor Square and Sheffield’s theatres, had traditionally been popular with theatregoers on their way to shows at the Crucible and the Lyceum, and had run for over 10 years.

Adrian Graham, of Graywoods insolvency and recovery services, the joint liquidator for the cafe’s business, confirmed Andrews had now gone into liquidation.

He said: “Sadly, they never got the footfall back that they had pre-lockdown. There was the odd peak, such as during Eat Out to Help Out, but it did not come back – they were only looking at around half the footfall. There just wasn’t the footfall to keep going.”

He said the insolvency went through in March.

Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.Picture shows it when it was still open. Picture: Chris EtchellsAndrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.Picture shows it when it was still open. Picture: Chris Etchells
Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.Picture shows it when it was still open. Picture: Chris Etchells

One former customer said: “If it has closed for good that’s a great shame. Andrews was a lovely place to go, and did nice food with good service and in attractive surroundings.”

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He said at the time, after office workers had started to return to their workplaces: “Those shoppers aren’t coming back to this part of town. Unless the council does something this company is not sustainable long term. Sheffield is in a downward spiral.

“Getting through this next year will be tough unless something drastic changes.”

Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.  Pictured is Andrew Whewell from Andrew's Cafe Tea Rooms when it was still open. Picture: Chris EtchellsAndrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic.  Pictured is Andrew Whewell from Andrew's Cafe Tea Rooms when it was still open. Picture: Chris Etchells
Andrews Cafe tea rooms has closed down after business levels failed to recover post pandemic. Pictured is Andrew Whewell from Andrew's Cafe Tea Rooms when it was still open. Picture: Chris Etchells

The unit is now one of a number on Chapel Walk which are currently unoccupied.

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Sheffield Council recently announced grants of up to £50,000 could be available for businesses to transform under-used spaces, as they try to deal with the impact of the pandemic on city centre footfall and trade

They want expressions of interest for the ReNew Fund for prime locations on and around Fargate and High Street, including Chapel Walk, Orchard Square, Norfolk Row and Surrey Street.

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