Already present in Marlow with the original Coopers café, the company has acquired two new properties in the area.
Food offering
The first one, Coopers Riverside, is an all-day dining venue opening on 1 November and holding up to 110 people – including 60 to 70 restaurant covers. Headed by chef Shaun Jones, it will offer a casual and rustic dining atmosphere with British and European dishes.
The menu will include items such as seasoned octopus in barbecue style, a signature burger made with organically-sourced shredded short rib, but also vegan and vegetarian options and British classics such as pork three ways.
“The key will be a constantly changing, refreshing menu,” said Coopers co-founder Adrian Thomas.
The food offering will be complemented by a wine list including products from Thomas’s own Australian vineyard, as well as coffee roasted in the original venue.
“Riverside is the most incredible venue, with amazing views up and down the Thames. We partnered with a young innovative chef, and we’re going to bring seasonal, very relaxed and casual but international cuisine focusing on sharing plates and pairing that with wines. It will be a casual, relaxed and rustic dining experience,” Thomas added.
Design
The design will open with light bleached wood and an open-plan kitchen and a farm yard feel. “One of the incredible things about this venue is its views of the Thames so we don’t want anything to deter from that,” he told BigHospitality.
The next venue, Tuck Shop, will open in January 2015 as a stop-and-go coffee shop offering baked goods and light meals at the Parade in Bourne End, targeting busy commuters.
Expansion plans
Thomas, who founded Coopers with Bourne End native and coffee fanatic James Patch, explained that the group plans to have five to seven venues in or around Bourne End in total, with more openings over the next couple of years.
“We’re trying to create different experiences, all linked by the main ingredients, which are coffee, food and wine, not just my wine but an eclectic new world, approachable and sustainably sourced selection.
“For the next few venues, cheese will be more of a feature and there will be more of a workshop experience, with barista training and wine tasting. But we definitely don’t want it to become a chain. Each venue will have very unique food, drinks and design,” he said.
Davis Coffer Lyons acted on behalf of the landlord, Sorbon Estates Limited, on the Riverside property.