This new cafe opened quietly at the start of October.
They serve REAL coffee and also they do a basic English breakfast.
Lunch is varied: Jacket Potatoes, Panini, Chicken and Rice & Peas (Jamaican style), Chilli Con Carne etc. Very low prices to start things off.
They play soft background music usually soul or jazz and are gradually winning the hearts of diners. There is also FREE WI-FI internet.
They are in the old Man of Kent public house which is being turned mainly into flats except for the front part which is where the P S Bar is sited
http://www.premiersnackbar.co.uk/
Premier Snack Bar - What do you think of it? 173 Sydenham Rd
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premier900
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 12 Nov 2007 07:45
- Location: London
Premier Snack Bar - What do you think of it? 173 Sydenham Rd
Last edited by premier900 on 8 Dec 2007 17:13, edited 2 times in total.
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GLOBAL THINKER
- Posts: 179
- Joined: 2 Nov 2004 13:20
- Location: SYDENHAM
Good to see there is life after Mayow Road and the Dolphin. I was starting to think I lived in the twilight zone. There seems to be little interest the the area towards the library etc (discounting the Bell Green Development).
Interesting isn't it that the Cobbs Corner to Mayow Road residents get consulted up to the eyeballs about shopfronts and plants, and everyone else gets logjammed traffic and rat runs from the proposed Bell Green Development.
Interesting isn't it that the Cobbs Corner to Mayow Road residents get consulted up to the eyeballs about shopfronts and plants, and everyone else gets logjammed traffic and rat runs from the proposed Bell Green Development.
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tongue_in_cheek
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 11 Nov 2007 21:08
- Location: Sydenham
Well I have not seen people queuing to get in ala Blue Mountain cafe. To be honest you could have stuck a burger van there and it would have been better than the Man of Kent.
I reckon that cockle van outside the Prince Alfred gets more business.
I reckon that cockle van outside the Prince Alfred gets more business.
Last edited by tongue_in_cheek on 12 Nov 2007 21:54, edited 2 times in total.
I'm all for local businesses, but this 'snack bar' looks awful. I certainly wouldn't go in there. The name puts me off alone. Is it premier? It certainly doesnt look premier!
Sorry to be so negative, but if this is your business think about how you present yourself. You may be the best cafe in the world, but if you don't LOOK like you are, no one will step foot through your door.
A bit of design and thought doesn't cost much, if you are interested in making your business look like an asset to Sydenham talk to someone who has made a really good job of presenting their business. Check out Degustation or The Broca In Brockley for how it can be done (not to mention Blue Mountain etc). I work in branding, if you want a chat and some free advice I'd be willing to help out. I wish you luck. But I have been past this business many times and I didn't even realize it was open!
Sorry to be so negative, but if this is your business think about how you present yourself. You may be the best cafe in the world, but if you don't LOOK like you are, no one will step foot through your door.
A bit of design and thought doesn't cost much, if you are interested in making your business look like an asset to Sydenham talk to someone who has made a really good job of presenting their business. Check out Degustation or The Broca In Brockley for how it can be done (not to mention Blue Mountain etc). I work in branding, if you want a chat and some free advice I'd be willing to help out. I wish you luck. But I have been past this business many times and I didn't even realize it was open!
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premier900
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 12 Nov 2007 07:45
- Location: London
This building is listed so the basic styling cannot be changed i.e. the windows etc. It is nicer inside. The food is tasty and the mood of the interior is mellow. Many women enjoy being there.leenewham wrote:I'm all for local businesses, but this 'snack bar' looks awful. I certainly wouldn't go in there. The name puts me off alone. Is it premier? It certainly doesnt look premier!
Sorry to be so negative, but if this is your business think about how you present yourself. You may be the best cafe in the world, but if you don't LOOK like you are, no one will step foot through your door.
A bit of design and thought doesn't cost much, if you are interested in making your business look like an asset to Sydenham talk to someone who has made a really good job of presenting their business. Check out Degustation or The Broca In Brockley for how it can be done (not to mention Blue Mountain etc). I work in branding, if you want a chat and some free advice I'd be willing to help out. I wish you luck. But I have been past this business many times and I didn't even realize it was open!
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premier900
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 12 Nov 2007 07:45
- Location: London
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choochoodriver
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 2 Nov 2007 12:57
- Location: wellspk
Ive been there and there is nothing wrong with it good decent place with good food and atmosphere, all you hear on here is to give local businesses a chance so why not give it a chance???? There are to many people here that think they are special and cant stop talking about the blue mountain, pls its a CAFE get over it. Sydenham is turning into such a wannabe posh place, snobs
Give this place a chance writing it off b4 you even try it out
Give this place a chance writing it off b4 you even try it out
I agree. Business owners are very welcome to announce their new ventures here. The more the merrier. I am sorry if anybody feels the website has been a bit too much Blue Mountain orientated. I hope no one doubts that it is a significant addition to the repertoire of SE26 eating and drinking places. To be fair it has also prompted people to remind others of the delight that is Sema's. And don't forget Hilltop Cafe too - tea @ 50p which makes for a rich choice (particular for us that feel poor).choochoodriver wrote:Give this place a chance writing it off b4 you even try it out
Premier appears to be pitched somewhere between the others and I hope this diversity is what Sydenham wants. I shall take time to visit and listen to the views of others ...
Admin
I've driven past.. but it doesn't look too appealing from the outside. It's almost like its tried to have the same idea as the Blue Mountain but wants it without spending any money. It looks very depressing. I had a paper menu through my front door for this place and again didn't look very proffessional.
I try and support local businesses in Sydenham as much as possible and try and do most of my shopping on the high street. I really want to see the high street enchanced and I don't see this adds anything at all. Sorry.
I really think you need to up your game if you want to get a share of the market. And the thing is Sydenham is still crying out for a good cafe.. the queues for the Blue Mountain are just crazy and you could so easily have a piece of that...
I try and support local businesses in Sydenham as much as possible and try and do most of my shopping on the high street. I really want to see the high street enchanced and I don't see this adds anything at all. Sorry.
I really think you need to up your game if you want to get a share of the market. And the thing is Sydenham is still crying out for a good cafe.. the queues for the Blue Mountain are just crazy and you could so easily have a piece of that...
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tongue_in_cheek
- Posts: 9
- Joined: 11 Nov 2007 21:08
- Location: Sydenham
I think we all get excited by seeing new businesses opening on the high street - I certainly do. However, could I make a simple plea for a little fairness and self-restraint in our criticisms of these businesses.
The only way to judge a new cafe is surely to go into it and sample the food and drink on offer yourself. Is it really fair to condemn an establishment on the basis of driving or walking past it? Or to use a public forum such as this to basically castigate the owner for not coming up to scratch on your perceived notion of style or appearance without first having set foot in the place?
Everyone who runs a business on our high street deserves a medal. They work long hours (as I came past the Blue Mountain this evening at 9pm Mel the owner was still cleaning up), they have often invested their life savings in the venture and they all desperately want their businesses to succeed.
But when they stick their heads above the parapet on this forum they are often subjected to fairly vicious personal attacks on themselves, their judgements and their staff. I cannot tell you how upset the staff at The Dolphin were at the personal comments made on this website about them a while back. The staff were rightly angry that no one had the courage to come forward personally and talk to them about their concerns but were quite willing to use the anonymity of this forum to lay into them behind their backs.
Let's have constructive criticism please. If the products in a store aren't to your liking or you can't afford them, shop somewhere else. If you get bad service, complain to the staff or the owner and try to get the situation improved before just offloading on this forum.
The only way to judge a new cafe is surely to go into it and sample the food and drink on offer yourself. Is it really fair to condemn an establishment on the basis of driving or walking past it? Or to use a public forum such as this to basically castigate the owner for not coming up to scratch on your perceived notion of style or appearance without first having set foot in the place?
Everyone who runs a business on our high street deserves a medal. They work long hours (as I came past the Blue Mountain this evening at 9pm Mel the owner was still cleaning up), they have often invested their life savings in the venture and they all desperately want their businesses to succeed.
But when they stick their heads above the parapet on this forum they are often subjected to fairly vicious personal attacks on themselves, their judgements and their staff. I cannot tell you how upset the staff at The Dolphin were at the personal comments made on this website about them a while back. The staff were rightly angry that no one had the courage to come forward personally and talk to them about their concerns but were quite willing to use the anonymity of this forum to lay into them behind their backs.
Let's have constructive criticism please. If the products in a store aren't to your liking or you can't afford them, shop somewhere else. If you get bad service, complain to the staff or the owner and try to get the situation improved before just offloading on this forum.
Nasaroc
I agree that we should all exercise restraint and fair-play when talking about new businesses - every business will have teething problems and that is fair enough. It's good to bear that in mind before laying into them with criticism on this forum, good point well made.
Having said that, I still think that people have the right to make fair and reasonable comment on any local business.
It is very useful for the consumer to see opinion on these on the forum e.g. feedback on restaurants, pubs, cafes/caffs and other businesses.
Most people know enough not to go on a single anonymous opinion but if there are several, esp from people known from their posting history to be reasonable and fair-minded, then it lends credence to the opinions expressed and gives a reasonable idea to the consumer of what to expect / watch out for.
For example - Sema's caff has had good feedback from several people - and no bad feedback AFAIK - so if you want a good caff, go there.
Likewise Gurkhas as an indian / Nepalese restaurant.
The Dolphin has had MANY good reviews and SOME bad reviews - enough to be considered a reasonable sample - you can read them and then decide if you think its a good place to go for dinner.
The other equaly important aspect is that the broad sweep of opinion is INVALUABLE to the owners of these businesses. Anyone in business who can get free feedback, most of which is HONEST by virtue of being anonymous, should be delighted. Free market research.
And if the feedback is negative, anyone in business should have a tough enough hide and broad enough shoulders to take it on board - and use it to IMPROVE the business and INCREASE THEIR SUCCESS.
As for staff being upset - so would I if I thought my performance was believed to be sub-par by several people, and that my boss could read about it. I would take that on board and see if I am actually guilty as charged - in which case I would improve. If not I would make sure I don't make the mistakes my colleagues are making.
Of course you get some mischevious / malicious posts - but most people have better to do than slate a business or person for nothing.
It's the broad sweep of opinion that is interesting.
I think the bosses at the Dolphin DO read this feedback, and I think they have taken much of it on board, improving it for everyone - fair play to them, and fair play to we who took time to feedback.
As for complaining in person, yes, by all means do that if you are brave or are prepared for potential bad reception to your feedback - which might not be your idea of fun when you are out and about.
Otherwise, IMHO, do post your feedback here, but BE FAIR - make allowances for the first day, week, month, and in general, be reasonable and constructive in what you say.
What do others think?
I agree that we should all exercise restraint and fair-play when talking about new businesses - every business will have teething problems and that is fair enough. It's good to bear that in mind before laying into them with criticism on this forum, good point well made.
Having said that, I still think that people have the right to make fair and reasonable comment on any local business.
It is very useful for the consumer to see opinion on these on the forum e.g. feedback on restaurants, pubs, cafes/caffs and other businesses.
Most people know enough not to go on a single anonymous opinion but if there are several, esp from people known from their posting history to be reasonable and fair-minded, then it lends credence to the opinions expressed and gives a reasonable idea to the consumer of what to expect / watch out for.
For example - Sema's caff has had good feedback from several people - and no bad feedback AFAIK - so if you want a good caff, go there.
Likewise Gurkhas as an indian / Nepalese restaurant.
The Dolphin has had MANY good reviews and SOME bad reviews - enough to be considered a reasonable sample - you can read them and then decide if you think its a good place to go for dinner.
The other equaly important aspect is that the broad sweep of opinion is INVALUABLE to the owners of these businesses. Anyone in business who can get free feedback, most of which is HONEST by virtue of being anonymous, should be delighted. Free market research.
And if the feedback is negative, anyone in business should have a tough enough hide and broad enough shoulders to take it on board - and use it to IMPROVE the business and INCREASE THEIR SUCCESS.
As for staff being upset - so would I if I thought my performance was believed to be sub-par by several people, and that my boss could read about it. I would take that on board and see if I am actually guilty as charged - in which case I would improve. If not I would make sure I don't make the mistakes my colleagues are making.
Of course you get some mischevious / malicious posts - but most people have better to do than slate a business or person for nothing.
It's the broad sweep of opinion that is interesting.
I think the bosses at the Dolphin DO read this feedback, and I think they have taken much of it on board, improving it for everyone - fair play to them, and fair play to we who took time to feedback.
As for complaining in person, yes, by all means do that if you are brave or are prepared for potential bad reception to your feedback - which might not be your idea of fun when you are out and about.
Otherwise, IMHO, do post your feedback here, but BE FAIR - make allowances for the first day, week, month, and in general, be reasonable and constructive in what you say.
What do others think?
Thats fine, you dont have to change the building, just how it looks. I'm sure the food is wonderful. It's not about making it look 'posh' either. If your business is booming and customers ara quing out the door then ignore everything I say becasue you obviously are doing everything right. If they aren't then I suggest rethinking how you dress up the building.premier900 wrote:This building is listed so the basic styling cannot be changed i.e. the windows etc. It is nicer inside. The food is tasty and the mood of the interior is mellow. Many women enjoy being there.
As I said before, I wish you luck. but the fact is that a lot of people think Sydenham is a 'bad area' because of the way the high street looks. Friends of mine think I'm mad to be concidering living in Sydenham. Before I got to know it I would have agreed with them.
Point is, people do judge a book by it's cover. I like Sydenham despite the high street. I like the hilltop cafe as well as the blue mountain cafe and have been in both. Why? Because I know what I'm going to get by the way they look.
User 100 - Thank you for such a well thought-out posting. I think that you are correct in asserting that fair comment should be welcomed since it will help businesses to assess their weaknesses and put them right.
However, I think you to have to make a clear distinction as to what is fair comment. If you look at the separate thread on Londis, this isn't fair comment. It is character assassination of the crudest kind made by people who remain comfortably anonymous.
And it is really fair to "judge a book by its cover" as two posters on this thread have done? They have passed by the building (one of them in a car!) and condemned the business out of hand. If I received a prospectus from a local school, drove past the school and concluded that it was a "failure", would that be fair?
Surely we should expect people to have actually walked through the front door of a cafe or restaurant before they pass judgement? Or perhaps this is a new approach to assessing the value of a cafe or restaurant. Maybe the restaurant critic of the Evening Standard or Time Out should review restaurants just by driving past them and passing an opinion - why bother to actually go in and try the food and drink!!
However, I think you to have to make a clear distinction as to what is fair comment. If you look at the separate thread on Londis, this isn't fair comment. It is character assassination of the crudest kind made by people who remain comfortably anonymous.
And it is really fair to "judge a book by its cover" as two posters on this thread have done? They have passed by the building (one of them in a car!) and condemned the business out of hand. If I received a prospectus from a local school, drove past the school and concluded that it was a "failure", would that be fair?
Surely we should expect people to have actually walked through the front door of a cafe or restaurant before they pass judgement? Or perhaps this is a new approach to assessing the value of a cafe or restaurant. Maybe the restaurant critic of the Evening Standard or Time Out should review restaurants just by driving past them and passing an opinion - why bother to actually go in and try the food and drink!!
The title of this post says 'what do you think of it'.
I haven't been in and I clearly said that it may be wonderful once you are inside.
I said what I thought about it, as asked. From what I see I wouldn't want to go inside, something a business owner might concider a problem if the way the business looked to passing trade put them off.
If they asked 'what do you think of our full english brakfast' then I wouldn't have posted! Perhaps we should have the next Sydenham get together there so we can review the goods.
I haven't been in and I clearly said that it may be wonderful once you are inside.
I said what I thought about it, as asked. From what I see I wouldn't want to go inside, something a business owner might concider a problem if the way the business looked to passing trade put them off.
If they asked 'what do you think of our full english brakfast' then I wouldn't have posted! Perhaps we should have the next Sydenham get together there so we can review the goods.
A number of comments in this thread are from people who have not been in, so here are a couple of comments from someone who has been in there a few times now. They have a decent espresso machine and use freshly ground beans, so you get a decent coffee. There is also a selection of Twinings teas if you like that sort of thing. There are a handful of hot dishes, which all seem to be freshly prepared and are of a decent quality - although a bit of garnish with a panini would be nice.
I think the name, Premier Snack Bar, under sells what it has to offer. If they were to brand it is a coffee shop that does hot lunches (which is what it is) then I’m sure it would be a lot busier. Without any eye level windows and a wooden door, it doesn’t look that inviting from the outside. I guess they may be limited if it is a listed building, but even a glass door, so that you could see in, would improve things.
The staff/owners are friendly, there is a plenty of space inside so with the addition of a couple of high chairs I’m sure it’ll appeal to the local mums.
I think the name, Premier Snack Bar, under sells what it has to offer. If they were to brand it is a coffee shop that does hot lunches (which is what it is) then I’m sure it would be a lot busier. Without any eye level windows and a wooden door, it doesn’t look that inviting from the outside. I guess they may be limited if it is a listed building, but even a glass door, so that you could see in, would improve things.
The staff/owners are friendly, there is a plenty of space inside so with the addition of a couple of high chairs I’m sure it’ll appeal to the local mums.
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castiron73
- Posts: 132
- Joined: 24 Oct 2006 10:05
- Location: Sydenham Thorpes
I think it's perfectly acceptable - and expected - to judge books by their covers. Otherwise we'd keep getting thrown out of the bookshop for treating it like a library.
One alternative is to read reviews first. So I think people should feel free to give their honest opinions anonymously on this site and local businesses should read them and listen gratefully not grumble. If things improve people will say so on here. I am the type who will complain about poor service or products at the time, but it's never comfortable and you do worry about confrontation or secret retribution in the kitchen.
On another thread Montecasino has been given a good write up. I'd never thought of going in there as judging by the exterior I assumed it had closed down in the 80s and had been fenced off to prevent squatters.
Premier certainly looks more tempting than the Man of Kent, and I thought it was deliberately a bit retro and the name was to fit with that. It would be better if you could see in as it would be far more welcoming.
One alternative is to read reviews first. So I think people should feel free to give their honest opinions anonymously on this site and local businesses should read them and listen gratefully not grumble. If things improve people will say so on here. I am the type who will complain about poor service or products at the time, but it's never comfortable and you do worry about confrontation or secret retribution in the kitchen.
On another thread Montecasino has been given a good write up. I'd never thought of going in there as judging by the exterior I assumed it had closed down in the 80s and had been fenced off to prevent squatters.
Premier certainly looks more tempting than the Man of Kent, and I thought it was deliberately a bit retro and the name was to fit with that. It would be better if you could see in as it would be far more welcoming.
Is it really listed? If so the council must be mad if this was lisited and other places such as the Greyhound have only just been given listed status!premier900 wrote:
This building is listed so the basic styling cannot be changed i.e. the windows etc. It is nicer inside. The food is tasty and the mood of the interior is mellow. Many women enjoy being there.
Will wonders never cease!