Hartlepool cafe The Dancing Cup re-opens under new management
A town centre cafe is opening its doors again after closing suddenly nearly three months ago.
John-Paul Smith, who is from Leicestershire, is re-opening The Dancing Cup, in York Road, Hartlepool, on Saturday, March 1, and wants to keep it as a “community cafe”.
The Dancing Cup closed its doors at the beginning of December after its previous lease holders, Sharon and Stuart Greig, decided to take over the running of Glady’s Vintage Tea Room, in The Front, Seaton Carew, instead.
John-Paul already has a background in the food industry after running a restaurant back home.
He said: “I ran a restaurant for about nine years, from 2013 to 2022. I had to give that up though because I had liver failure and was hospitalised for eight months, so keeping it was not a viable option.”
John decided to move up to Hartlepool to be closer to the beach and because of low house prices.
The interior of The Dancing Cup is expected to remain the same for the next year but John-Paul hopes to put his own spin on the menu.
The Dancing Cup is open from 9am on March 1 and customers can expect a range of offers including 50% off afternoon teas, a free cheesecake with every main meal and a free breakfast roll with any hot drink.
John-Paul said: “It’s a community cafe and that is what I want to keep it as.
"Prices have gone up but we want to keep them as low as possible.”