Lincolnite Tries

Two Lincoln businesses proved so popular after coverage in The Lincolnite that they had to close for restocking!

New business Lincoln Bagel Co on Guildhall Street, as well as vegan restaurant Cafe Shanti, now under new ownership, weren’t prepared for how busy they would be.

The Lincolnite visited Cafe Shanti last week, which recently reopened under the ownership of best friends Melanie StJohn-Howe and Joanna Farr.

Cafe Shanti posted on its Facebook page on Sunday, March 5 as it had to temporarily close that day.

They said: “Due to what we are now calling The Lincolnite effect we were not prepared for how busy we would be (on Saturday) and we have run out of food.”

Co-owner Mel told The Lincolnite: “We think we were a lot busier because of article which we are grateful for.

“There was a lot of excitement and a buzz in the air. There were times we ran out of some food on Saturday so we had to close Sunday to restock and address some of the feedback.

“It helped highlight some changes we needed to make with regards to how we run it on a weekend compared to in the week.

“We had some feedback from customers, constructive and good and we are grateful for all of it. We understand going forward what needs to be done.

“We are back open now and had a really nice, busy lunch (on Monday, March 6) and had a lot of walk-ins. We had the place full for dinner.”

The owners also said they are happy for people to message the Facebook page or to email [email protected] with any feedback.

Cafe Shanti is open on Monday (10am-4pm), Thursday (11am-10pm), Friday and Saturday (11am-11pm), and Sunday (12pm-6pm), but closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Lincoln Bagel Co opened on Guildhall Street in the city centre last week and is run by father-of-13 Dean Bell and two of his sons, Joseph and Joshua.

After completely selling out on Tuesday, February 28, the cafe had to close for restocking the following day.

They then made double the amount of bagels and reopened on Thursday, March 2, but they sold out in just two-and-a-half hours and had to put up a sold out sign.

The cafe is proving very popular and continues to sell out every day, with inside full and queues outside the door on some days, and they will now be taking on more staff in the near future to help manage the busy demand.

Co-owner Joshua said: “The first week was unbelievable. The response has been amazing and lots of people have come in because they read the article.

“A lot of people who came in referenced The Lincolnite which is really cool and it has blown away our expectations.

“We’ve had so much more custom than we thought and people are loving the food. We have had a lot of repeat customers already.”

As a result of the busy opening week, the opening hours have changed to Monday to Saturday between 11am and 4pm.

The cafe will be announcing the opening days each week, but said “as we find our stride we’ll be opening more consistently in the future”.

Joshua’s brother and cafe co-owner Joseph said: “We’ve been profoundly touched and humbled by the extraordinary support we’ve received from the people of Lincoln.

“Our only challenge last week was working to keep up with demand. We’re a family business and it was important for us that, during this opening season, we worked at a pace that would allow our staff to run sustainably and to give our customers the best experience.

“We’re already looking to expand our staff roster in the near future. We’re working hard to keep up with demand (as we’ve sold out of bagels almost every day so far), and as we find a sustainable way to increase those numbers we’ll be expanding our opening hours to include breakfast.

“We’ve had great feedback from our customers so far, and we’re excited to grow and explore new options. We’ll be introducing our delicious gluten-free bagels in the near future, and we have plans to introduce sweet options to the menu.

“There is a lot to look forward to, but for the present, we’re deeply grateful for such a warm welcome by the city, and we’re thankful for the staff at The Lincolnite for being such encouraging advocates for our little business.”

---

Is your business looking for promotion in Lincoln and across Lincolnshire? Contact the Partnerships team on [email protected] to discuss the best options for you.

---

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.

Two best friends who met through vegan activism have launched a new menu after taking over a Lincoln restaurant.

Melanie StJohn-Howe, 29, has been friends with Joanna Farr for five years. Mel used to work at the restaurant under previous owners Garry and Tracey Goddard, who ran the restaurant on Clasketgate from 2015 before moving on.

Jo is a housing officer for Newark & Sherwood District Council, who in her spare time runs Lincolnshire Animal Save which holds vigils at slaughter houses.

The new owners have created a bigger space with seating now upstairs too and they have taken a different approach with their menu, which has been created by head chef Ben Morton.

The restaurant reopened under the new owners on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Melanie, who has been vegan for 10 years, told The Lincolnite: “We’ve got more modern American style food, but also still kept some of the really nice curries, and updated and changed them a little bit.

“It’s been all systems go. It’s a little bit hectic, in a good and fun way with a lot of problem-solving happening, but a lot of happy customers and we’ve had quite a few reviews come in which is nice.

“We are really grateful for the opportunities the previous owners have given us and trusting us to carry on the Shanti legacy.”

Melanie believes the vegan population in Lincoln has “grown so much” and that the amount of vegan options in the city has improved.

She added: “It has definitely evolved. Lincoln has got a lot better. Of course, there are other places in the country that are amazing, but Lincoln is a small city and it has improved an awful lot.”

The new owners are also planning to launch vegan Sunday roast dinners on their menu later this spring.

Cafe Shanti is open on Monday (10am-4pm), Thursday (11am-10pm), Friday and Saturday (11am-11pm), and Sunday (12pm-6pm), but closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Meanwhile, the fruit and vegetables shortage has been causing a lot of frustration recently, but what effect has it had on the new Cafe Shanti owners?

Melanie added: “It’s a little scary, but I’m not too worried right now. Yes, we’ve got a lot of vegetables on the menu, but because we’re vegan it’s not ‘everything is vegetables’, we’ve got loads of tofu, fake chicken, fake beef.

“I don’t know how it’s going to go in the future, but so far we haven’t been effected thankfully.”

---

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.

A new menu will launch at The George at Langworth village pub on Wednesday, March 1 and The Lincolnite went to check it out.

Ben McLoughlin and his wife Zara lost their jobs and were asked to leave their home in 2020, but a chance phone call to a local business owner put them in touch with the Lincolnshire Brewing Company, based at The George at Langworth.

After the firm closed the brewery to move to Portugal, the pub was available to buy or lease, and over two years on the couple are proud of the progress they have made with their venture.

Zara told The Lincolnite: “It’s dramatically changed since we took it over. It’s gone from being just a bar with a pool table to more of a restaurant style pub.”

She added that, although the fruit and vegetables supply and demand shortages have caused an impact as costs have gone up, “our menu is a reflection of everybody’s spending capabilities, whilst maintaining quality and keeping things seasonal and relevant.”

The menu was designed by chef Ben with inspiration from his seafood background and roots in Cornwall, combined with spring vibes and being very customer feedback orientated.

Crispy devilled whitebait, coconut, chilli & lime steamed mussels, and pea seared scallops with a creamy pea purée are among the starters on the new menu.

The main dishes include homemade steak and ale pie, roasted Mediterranean vegetable lasagne, hot cured duck salad, and Panko chicken Katsu curry, while there are also various fish, pasta and pizza options. Various steaks and burgers are also available from the chargrill.

For those with a sweet tooth, the desserts include cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding.

Ben said: “There are many pubs, bars and restaurants carrying on through these challenging times. We strive to give our customers a warm and welcoming environment to take their mind off the world around them.”

The new menu launch coincides with The George’s new website, which has an online booking system for people to reserve a table.

The George at Langworth is open Wednesday to Saturday (5pm-10pm) and Sundays (12pm-7pm).

WIN A STEAK DINNER FOR TWO

To be in with a chance of winning a steak dinner for two, with a bottle of house wine, head over to our competition HERE. The competition ends on March 12.

See more of our photo gallery below:

---

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.