Why Our Prices Are Changing — and Why Value Still Matters to Us

At Maple Park Café, we have always tried to keep our prices fair, honest and good value.

Whether someone is visiting us for a coffee and a sandwich, meeting friends for lunch, ordering afternoon tea, or arranging catering for a wake, we know that price matters. We also know that people choose us because they trust us to provide good food, friendly service and a warm welcome at important moments.

That is why we do not take price changes lightly.

Our latest menu and pricing update is only our second price change in four years. During that time, the cost of running a small hospitality business has continued to rise. Food, ingredients, utilities, insurance, packaging and supplier costs have all increased. Like many independent cafés and hospitality businesses, we have absorbed as much of this as we possibly can.

However, we also believe strongly that good service depends on good people — and good people deserve to be paid properly.

We are proud to pay our staff the National Living Wage. Our team work hard every day to look after our customers, prepare food, serve families, support private bookings and help us provide a caring and professional service for wake catering. Paying our staff fairly is not an optional extra for us. It is part of the kind of business we want Maple Park Café to be.

Good Value in the Café and for Wake Bookings

We understand that everyone is watching their spending. That is why, even with our price changes, we have worked hard to keep our café menu and wake service bookings as good value as possible.

For our wake catering, we know families are often arranging things at a difficult and emotional time. Our aim is to make the catering simple, reliable and fairly priced, while still offering good-quality food and a calm, welcoming service.

We have also expanded our popular packages to include afternoon tea and breakfast menu options, giving families and groups more choice depending on the time of day, style of gathering and budget.

The Bigger Picture for Hospitality

We also believe there needs to be a wider conversation about how hospitality is taxed in the UK.

Many people in the industry, including well-known Yorkshire chef Tommy Banks, have spoken publicly about the pressure hospitality businesses are under and the need for the Government to reduce VAT for the sector. We support the campaign for hospitality VAT to be lowered and brought more closely in line with many European countries.

At present, hospitality businesses in the UK face a standard VAT rate that places real pressure on cafés, restaurants, pubs and venues. A lower VAT rate would make a meaningful difference. It would help businesses keep prices more affordable, support jobs, invest in staff, and continue serving their local communities.

We were interested to see the Government recently announce a temporary VAT reduction for children’s meals and certain family attractions, including theme parks and other days out, over the summer period. That shows the Government recognises that reducing VAT can help families and support parts of the visitor economy.

We believe the same principle should apply more widely to hospitality.

Independent cafés, restaurants and pubs are not just businesses. They are places where people meet, celebrate, remember loved ones, spend time with family, and feel part of their community. Supporting hospitality means supporting local jobs, local suppliers and local high streets.

Thank You for Supporting Maple Park Café

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who continues to support Maple Park Café.

Every coffee, lunch, cake, afternoon tea, private booking and wake service helps us keep going, keep employing local people, and keep offering the friendly service we are proud of.

We will always try to provide good value, fair prices and a warm welcome.

Thank you for understanding, and thank you for supporting a local independent café.