A boom in trade has prompted the business owners of The Mad Hatter Tea Rooms in Margate to put the lease on the market as they look for a new venue.
The Old Town tea and cake shop is being marketed by Clarke & Crittenden who have been instructed to offer the business, fixtures, fittings and goodwill. The Mad Hatter name will be sold but the Mad Hatter logo will remain with current owners Jamie Ingram and Heidi Cadby.
The couple opened the doors to the Mad Hatter in January 2018 after moving from Sittingbourne, selling their home, changing the schools of their three children and giving up their jobs of contract catering for Jamie and special needs teaching for Heidi.
Their combination of homemade cakes, sausage rolls, Champagne teas and more have gone down a storm – meaning it is time to take the next step on the ladder to outright property ownership.
Heidi said: “We are looking for a new location in Thanet with a view to owning rather than renting. We will be taking our logo with us and will have a slight change of name but we are staying and carrying on. We really enjoy what we do and it seems to be working so in an ideal world we will now go on to own our own premises.”
The tea rooms, consisting of the downstairs space, the upstairs Victoria tea room and a pretty garden area, is Grade II listed and within the Margate Conservation Area.
The property is to be let at a rental of £18,000 pax, subject to contract. It is held on a 20 year lease with provision for five yearly upward only rent reviews to open market value.
It has rated as #1 out of 49 cafes in Margate, and #1 out of 124 restaurants in the town (as of 24/01/20) and been awarded by the prestigious Good Food Award for 2019 and 2020.
The tea room is still open and trading. Hours are 9:30-4pm. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.