Welcome to The Barn Cafe
at Turville Heath

Our opening times are: Wednesday to Sunday
10am to 3pm
Reservations Are Required At All Times
(even for just a drink!)

CLOSED UNTIL
THURSDAY 13TH JANAURY 2022

When we opened in April 2015, we were the laughing stock of the area. Restaurants and pubs were falling by the wayside claiming that locals didn't use them and recreational visitors didn't spend enough money to be worth catering for. After a few months of opening it quickly became apparent that the demand for quick affordable lunches and refreshment was exactly what people were looking for. By 2019 the demand at peak times started to outstrip what we could deliver. At times our small family team with casual helpers were left shell shocked as they tried to serve hundreds of people per day. Customers faced long queues. Something had to change.

Covid 19 hit and during lockdown we realised we were going to be one of the first to reopen and the demand was going to be overwhelming so a booking system was employed to control numbers and satisfy the track and trace requirements. Below are the reasons for keeping the booking system in place post the covid era.

1. To prevent the location getting overloaded at peak times. Turville Heath is in the middle of an AONB and a conservation area. Whilst the whole idea is to promote sustainable countryside access, there has to be a balance of visitor numbers v local disturbance.

2. To ensure groups riding and walking can be served promptly and be sat at a table. There is no alternative to the barn once you have committed to come here. You can't just walk down the street to the next cafe!

3. Staff management. The lack of staff in the hospitality sector is now becoming the limit to growth. We are further hampered by being in the middle of nowhere. We can tailor our customer numbers to the amount of customers. This is a weird reversal of business plans which many struggle to accept. If we can only field a team of 3 during the week, we only allow bookings for which 3 staff can comfortably cope with. If the weather is bad or bookings slim, we can deploy staff to food prep or some other duty, rather than have them stood waiting for potential customers.

4. Ability to contact customers. Over the years we have had to contact customers to let them know of various issues such as blocked roads, power cuts and extreme weather which has forced us to close. The booking system gives us the chance of letting the customers know before venturing out.

5. Customers can easily give us the heads up on any special requirements such as disabled parking, dietary requirements, birthdays etc.

6. Functions. We regularly host special functions for larger groups. The booking system allows us to manage the regular customers whilst allowing for larger groups.

7. Filming. The farm buildings have been used for numerous film locations over the decades, The film companies usually prefer us to close for privacy.

8. A more personal service. The booking system has taken us back to the early days when we could have a moment to chat to customers who wish to.

9. Promotions beyond our control.

Look forward to seeing you soon