Heather Mills closes VBites for the winter (From The Argus)
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Heather Mills closes VBites for the winter
10:30am Friday 17th September 2010 in News By Rebecca Evans
CLOSED: Heather Mills outside VBites
Heather Mills's Hove vegan cafe has been closed for the winter.
VBites has been open since July last year but announced it will be shutting down for the winter period "to focus on staff training, recipe development and VBites franchising".
Sir Paul McCartney's ex-wife refurbished the former fish restaurant last year and developed a wholly vegan and largely organic menu using meat substitutes with her team of chefs.
The cafe, which is next to Hove Lagoon and a large children's play area, stayed open all of last winter and has been open seven days a week during the summer period.
It was deserted today with bars on the windows and signs posted on the doors announcing its closure, but with no details of when it will reopen.
A message on the VBites website said: "VBites Hove is having its end of summer holiday from Saturday September 11.
"2010 has been a great year for VBites. We have had a fantastic summer and - like many beach cafes across the country - will be closed over the winter so that we can focus on staff training, recipe development and VBites franchising.
"We've been working hard and it's been our pleasure to serve you over the Brighton and Hove summer beach season."
The message said the cafe is available for private parties during the winter months and Ms Mills will be hosting "fun and informal" cookery workshops at the site over the period.
"We look forward to seeing you again soon when we re-open," it added.
Mills has previously spoken of her plans to offer the VBites concept as a franchise.
A spokesman declined to comment further on the closure of the cafe today.
Mills, who had a high-profile divorce battle with former Beatle Sir Paul in 2008, has attempted to make a name for herself as an animal rights campaigner since being in the public eye.
The former glamour model, who lost a leg when she was hit by a police motorcyclist in 1993, announced earlier this year that she wants to make a reality TV show in which celebrities will live with a disability for a week.
She is due to give a cookery demonstration in Brighton tomorrow as part of the Incredible Veggie Roadshow.
Comments(25)
pperrin
says...
10:42am Fri 17 Sep 10
TheInsider
says...
11:24am Fri 17 Sep 10
I wish she would.
large
says...
11:26am Fri 17 Sep 10
Code word:- have-lady - very appropiate
Fight Back
says...
11:46am Fri 17 Sep 10
pperrin wrote:Hopefully it will not re-open at all and go back to what it was previously. It was always busy before becoming V-Bites and now you go to the playground and the poor ice cream girl sits there all day without selling a thing. The ironic thing is that now an Ice Cream van parks up nearby and is always busy maybe something to do with selling proper ice cream at a reasonable price !
May be she should sublet it to an outfit who will do cheap teas, coffees, cakes, chips, burgers, ice creams and all the things that people *really* want when out and about near the lagoon.
bigcatdetective
says...
12:09pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Pebbles
says...
12:11pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Where does she get this from?
Most establishments are not subsidised by extraodinary wealth.
So it is going to take all winter to train staff and create to new products.. and the cafe will be used for franshising the company?
It is obvious that Miss Mills has no idea on serving the public and this is really only a game to her.
.... and yes.. I have used the cafe... and was not impressed.
kraftwerker
says...
12:25pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Indigatio
says...
12:32pm Fri 17 Sep 10
What she sold wasn't proper vegan food anyway.
Maybe someone will now take it over and open it with a more appropriate menu for the location.
jiving
says...
12:37pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Fight Back wrote:completly agree with both of you.
pperrin wrote: May be she should sublet it to an outfit who will do cheap teas, coffees, cakes, chips, burgers, ice creams and all the things that people *really* want when out and about near the lagoon.Hopefully it will not re-open at all and go back to what it was previously. It was always busy before becoming V-Bites and now you go to the playground and the poor ice cream girl sits there all day without selling a thing. The ironic thing is that now an Ice Cream van parks up nearby and is always busy maybe something to do with selling proper ice cream at a reasonable price !
it is so over priced and it tastes awful. £2 for a cup of tea that went straight in the bin. that cafe could make a killing selling cheap tea, coffee, chips etc...tonnes of families visit the lagoon each day, winter and summer. they could make so much money.
yes, i have also noticed the icecream van that parks up round the corner from the cafe and there is always a que!
jbhove
says...
1:22pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Jo-scuba
says...
1:49pm Fri 17 Sep 10
...in other words:
1) she wants to take a long extended holiday abroad somewhere for several months, and doesn't trust any of her staff enough to run it in her absence.
2) She's got bored of it now.
OMG! My security word is knee-risk !!
That is hilarious!
One more angle
says...
4:07pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Voter99
says...
5:06pm Fri 17 Sep 10
monty sidewinder
says...
5:23pm Fri 17 Sep 10
bug eye
says...
5:40pm Fri 17 Sep 10
I also think she should have gone for a more eclectic art deco decor, orange and green is not really a winner.
a real shame though as hove lagoon needs a great cafe not a skate park.
John Steed
says...
5:48pm Fri 17 Sep 10
Any animosity towards the owner should not be reflected on the staff whom I was pleased to leave a reasonable tip, when and/or if it reopens I for one will give it another go, who ever said an old dog cant enjoy a few new tricks. and before you get the idea i am some sort of sycophant Vbites would not put me off my beef tartar
Living in the real world
says...
6:41pm Fri 17 Sep 10
OMG Security words are
cafe-gone...I kid you not
leedsunited4ever
says...
6:53pm Fri 17 Sep 10
micky adams
says...
8:52am Sat 18 Sep 10
John Steed wrote:Nice Post, Heather!
I ate there on the saturday evening of pride, as a confirmed carnivore I will admit I found the soup was delightfull, the faux chicken curry exceptionally tasty, the prices where surprisingly reasonable, the staff were polite, friendly and the place whilst not packed was comfortably busy also the atmosphere was fine although not quite as intresting as eating in sidney street/north laines which has just about got to be the best place in brighton for reasonable food and the widest range of patrons possible.
Any animosity towards the owner should not be reflected on the staff whom I was pleased to leave a reasonable tip, when and/or if it reopens I for one will give it another go, who ever said an old dog cant enjoy a few new tricks. and before you get the idea i am some sort of sycophant Vbites would not put me off my beef tartar
Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit
says...
9:47am Sat 18 Sep 10
dunderheads
says...
6:25pm Sat 18 Sep 10
One more angle wrote:Walk around the corner he is there!
All that is needed to kill it off now is a burger van on the baisin road at the side of the lagoon. Please mr burger van man, do us all a favour.
ReluctantHousewife
says...
4:55pm Tue 21 Sep 10
We have avoided the area because we can't get a cup of tea (without the 'milk' curdling) or ice-cream that my son will actually eat (he gave his vegan version back to me 'don't like that')
Vegan food is fine when its just that - not pretendy meat substitutes that probably contain more chemicals, flavourings and colourings to make it look like meat, than bacon sarnies and chips!
Sorry Heather but let us have back our trad cafe or chippy!
Tippy Toes
says...
1:56pm Wed 22 Sep 10
bug eye wrote:Sorry, but what is your issue with the skate park? The park is always packed, and if the kids weren't there, they would be somewhere else! You'd rather they hung around on street corners? I am guessing you were never a kid?!?
good food and staff, but have not gone back because of the noise of the skatepark with constant slamming of skateboards and screaming, get rid of that and you will do well.
I also think she should have gone for a more eclectic art deco decor, orange and green is not really a winner.
a real shame though as hove lagoon needs a great cafe not a skate park.
strange fish
says...
9:20pm Thu 23 Sep 10
......
Couldnt see that coming!!!!!!!!!!!
Idiot!
tombraider59 says...
10:35am Fri 17 Sep 10