Did you know we are celebrating our 25th years of business this year?
In our 25th year we wanted to look back at our history and we thought you might want to read all about it.
Situated in the now closed boardwalk in North Street was a small business with the name of Wright’s Tea and Coffee, a cafe run by sisters Caroline and Fiona Wright. They served a selection of teas and coffees as the name suggests but the biggest factor was it wasn’t vegetarian! Were not sure when they opened their cafe but were going to visit the record office and find out!
In 1995, Cafe Paradiso was born!
Just shortly after the great floods in Chichester, Sarah and David Crowley brought Wright’s Tea and Coffee and turned it into our beloved Cafe Paradiso! This is when we gained our well known green and yellow decor and also became Vegetarian.
Lots of people ask us where we got our name from, it is a nod to a well known vegetarian restaurant in Cork. The restaurant now known as Paradiso, has an amazing veggie menu, guestrooms and a big reputation. Opened in 1993 it gave a huge influence to our little Chichester Cafe. Check out their website and give them a visit if your ever in Ireland.
Sarah and David sold the cafe in 2006 and shortly after moved back to Cork to their family home, were they live now.
Going back to 1995, a young girl started working part time around her studies at college and then into university. Through lots of washing up and serving our lovely customers she became full time manager in 2001, this young girl is Laura.
In 2006 Laura and Mat Hayler brought the cafe and are still the current owners today. Retaining staff and signature cafe dishes and of course the green and yellow dear!
Over the years we have a had lovely members of staff, a lot of these we are still in close contact with. Some of these have come back to work or visit or even opened their own premises. We all loved our time working at the cafe and for most of us it is still has a big space in our hearts, it was never just a job, its is a family.
Rowena, Manager for many years at Cafe Paradiso has written why she loved working for us…
Working at Cafe P saw me through my teenage years into adulthood and saw many milestones along the way, from first job nerves, marriages, deaths and first house buying to feeling a part of something special, moving premises and a great team to support me through life’s ups and downs. Without the support from past and previous owners and staff, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today. I’ve learnt not only great kitchen skills but customer service and social skills too….along with a lot of useless information, which I hope will still come in handy one day!
To have been part of a small independent business for more than a decade of it’s 25years is an honour and I wish cafe Paradiso the very best for the future and urge everyone to #shoplocal, even more so in these strange times we find ourselves.
In 2015 we shut our doors in the boardwalk and moved to our new and current premises at 45 North Street. The building was formerly Meritz sports and school wear and is a grade 2 listed building. Outside in our garden you can see original brickwork from the building and our shop front remains very similar to early pictures of the property. We had an extensive refurbishment inside and out, building a kitchen, adding a skylight and also laying turf and patio for our al fresco dining.
Ellie, a previous member of our friendly staff wrote…
Cafe Paradiso started my journey into adulthood with my first job over ten years ago. I won’t ever forget it. The lovely colleagues, the quirky regulars and the amazing food! I loved being part of the team and cooking for the hungry people! I think my favourite part of it all is knowing you are part of the family no matter how much time has past. Every customer will experience this sense of welcoming whether you come to eat everyday or just for a coffee one time!
Not much has changed over the years, our food remains the same great quality and taste and our friendly family attitude is still a big part of your experience. We are still using our well loved and tested recipes to make our delicious food and cakes and will never change that!
We would like to thank you all for your custom over all these years and we hope to celebrate with you all this year for our 25th birthday! Keep an eye on our social media for more details!
Cafe Paradiso x
Cafe Paradiso Chichester 
Happy 25th birthday! I remember the cafe in boardwalk, a little haven with the counter on the right and tables on the left. That’s where I discovered the apricot danish. Glad the cafe is now fully veggie (with vegan options too) and has a lovely garden. A favourite stop when visiting Chichester.
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