Popular Leamington cafe to open new site in Warwick as part of big expansion plans

Owner of Warwick Street Kitchen Lydia Papaphilippopoulos-Snape and Wright Hassall Associate Bhavika Patel (nee Mistry) outside the new site on Coten End. Photo supplied

The owner of two popular independent cafés is opening a brand-new site in Warwick as part of expansion plans which will create almost a dozen new jobs.

Lydia Papaphilippopoulos-Snape, who owns Warwick Street Kitchen in Leamington and Saint Kitchen in Birmingham, has signed a lease for 23 Coten End with the help of law firm Wright Hassall.

Around £100,000 will be spent transforming the former supermarket site, with the café looking to recruit around 10 new staff from the local area ahead of opening in early 2022.

The venture is part of big expansion plans for Lydia as it will also include a wholesale kitchen to service their existing cafés and allow them to export their produce further afield.

The new site will also be named Warwick Street Kitchen.

Worcester-born Lydia, 33, said: “I’m really excited to be opening in Warwick. I work with such an amazing team of chefs and bakers who are all looking forward to the expansion.

“Not only can we service all three sites from Warwick and centralise our bakers, but it will also give us capacity to export to other businesses across the Midlands.

“Whilst our opening date isn’t fixed quite yet, we can’t wait to welcome people in.

“Our ethos is all about making homemade produce on site – every piece of bread, sauce and cake – and teaming it up with great coffee, as we believe really great food and coffee does not have to be mutually exclusive.”

The speciality coffee shop has made great strides since opening its first site in Leamington in 2017, followed up by its sister café in Birmingham in 2019.

It employs 26 staff across both sites, with many promoted within the business, including George Cambridge who started off as head chef at Warwick Street Kitchen to become Lydia’s new business partner.

As well as creating jobs in the café, work to transform the new premises will also be given to local firms.

Lydia added: “We are working with the same tradespeople we have met along the way since opening in Leamington, so we are keeping the work local which is really important to us.”

Bhavika Patel (nee Mistry), Associate at Wright Hassall, added: “Wright Hassall has worked with Lydia to help her secure her last premises in Birmingham, so it has been tremendous to see her business grow.

“We have no doubt the new site in Warwick will become a key part of not only the food and drink offering in the town centre, but also the local community.”