Off the Tap owner set to take over beloved Tea Pot cafe

The long-running Tea Pot Café in Maidenhead town centre is set to change hands – with a promise to keep its culture and atmosphere.

The Tea Pot owners Jeff and Debbie Pullin decided to hang up their aprons on Christmas Eve this year, making the announcement at Easter.

The husband-and-wife team fed families, tradespeople and shoppers for 43 years.

When the announcement was made, there were fears in the community that the historic Tea Pot, which started life as a ‘small wooden shack’ in Frascati Way in 1980, would be lost.

Now an agreement has been struck to change hands to Toby Denney, who runs Off the Tap on the High Street, among other ventures.

Contracts have been exchanged and preparations are underway to show the ropes to the new incumbents – including how to create the specials and classics The Tea Pot is known for.

Jeff said The Tea Pot is going to remain true to its history and what its punters love about it.

“They’re going to keep it identically the same to what we do,” he said.

“The only thing difference is the owners, in that [Debbie and I] won’t be there.

“It’s good that they’re keeping the legend going. It’s the longest established café in town. There’s not many places that have been open 43 years, through three recessions and a pandemic.”

He said he and Debbie intend to visit as customers and will enjoy seeing their regulars who don’t want them to leave and will miss them.

“I’m looking forward to retiring and we’re going to enjoy spending time with our eight grandchildren,” said Jeff.

For his part, Toby said taking on The Tea Pot is a ‘no brainer’ as it is ‘a fantastic business.’

“The other side of it is that’s it’s really quite an honour for us to continue that legacy and maintain it the way it is. We just want to continue the good work Jeff and Debbie and have done for decades and not have Maidenhead lose what’s become one of its great institutions.”

Everything from suppliers to what customers see on that menu ‘will be the same,’ Toby added.

The Tea Pot will undergo some small cosmetic spruce ups and personnel changes but other than that, customers will notice ‘very little difference’, he said.

One major difference they will notice is that The Tea Pot will now open on Sunday – when Jeff and Debbie would normally take a break – as that is a good day for trading.

“We can’t wait to incorporate this into all the other things we do,” said Toby.

“I’ve eaten in there since I was a teenager – many of the team have – or they take their families there. Some people have been going there since they were babies and now visit as adults.

“To be part of such a strong community and to be trusted to continue that and be stewards of it is very honouring and we are really looking forward to it.”

The plan is to do the touch-ups when the ownership switches over on Christmas Day, with The Tea Pot remaining closed until the first day of trading in January.