New family-friendly cafe and restaurant in Warwick granted a licence after owners said they 'want it to benefit local residents'

The business said rumours suggesting the premises was to be turned into a sports bar were false and that it would be geared up towards families with table football, table-tennis and a library stocked with children’s books
Revive Cafe in Warwick has been granted a premises licence after a spokesman for the business explained that the owners wanted it to benefit local residents.Revive Cafe in Warwick has been granted a premises licence after a spokesman for the business explained that the owners wanted it to benefit local residents.
Revive Cafe in Warwick has been granted a premises licence after a spokesman for the business explained that the owners wanted it to benefit local residents.

A new family-friendly cafe and restaurant in Warwick has been granted a premises licence after a spokesman for the business explained that the owners wanted it to benefit local residents.

Consultant Johnny Hung also said that those behind the Revive Cafe, at 7 Smith Street, would make sure they monitored noise levels because they ran another business from the premises above the former Furniture Place shop.

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Three councillors sat on the Warwick District Council licensing panel when it considered the application tonight (Thursday) - chair Cllr Jacqui Grey (Con, Warwick Myton and Heathcote), Cllr Carolyn Gifford (Lib Dem, Leamington Milverton) and Cllr Sidney Syson (Lib Dem, Leamington Milverton).

They heard Mr Hung explain that rumours suggesting the premises was to be turned into a sports bar were false and that it would be geared up towards families with table football, table-tennis and a library stocked with children’s books.

He said: “There has been a rumour that this is a sports bar and this has been locally spread unfortunately because of a tradesperson who has been asked by an intrigued member of the public about what was going on. We would like to reiterate that this is not a sports bar - we will have one large TV screen at the back of the premises.

“The whole purpose was to have a cafe/restaurant during the day with, potentially in the evening, a fine dining experience which Smith Street doesn’t have at the moment.

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“This is high end restaurant quality and not a budget venue for drunken revellers to be going into. It is a family atmosphere that we are going for.

“The shareholders own the premises immediately above and wanted to monitor the noise levels themselves. They have a call centre right above and would like to keep noise to a minimum.”

The panel was told that the majority of the seven staff were local and that the head chef and general manager had 40 years experience in hospitality between them.

Mr Hung added: “Ultimately we want to be a local business that is a benefit to local residents. We don’t want to be a discomfort. Hopefully the evidence shows that we have the interests of Smith Street at heart as well as its local residents.”

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One of those local residents, Gill Smith, spoke at the hearing explaining that while she had no concerns about how the premises would operate at the moment, her fears related to future plans.

It is expected that the premises will close at 6pm each day apart from Fridays and Saturdays when the fine dining menu will be offered in the evening.