Battle for London's Cafes Halted as Landlord's Eviction Threat Subsides
In a reprieve for three north London cafes, their owners have won a temporary stay of execution after successfully challenging the eviction notice issued by the City of London Corporation. The corporation, which manages green spaces including Hampstead Heath, had threatened to evict Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez from their cafes at Parliament Hill Lido, Queen's Park, and Highgate Wood.
The couple, who have run the businesses for several years, accused the corporation of running a commercial exercise in the retendering process, with no regard for transparency or fairness. They claimed that the authority's decision to award new leases to an Australian-inspired chain, Daisy Green, was motivated by a desire to raise money rather than serve the local community.
Matthews and Fernandez have now been informed through their lawyers that they do not need to vacate the premises next week, which would have been impractical for their business. However, the corporation has warned that it may still seek a court order to repossess the cafes if necessary.
The couple's victory has been met with relief from local residents and customers, many of whom have shown support for their efforts through social media and crowdfunding campaigns. Over 22,000 people have signed a petition calling for the corporation to retain the current cafe operators, while Matthews and Fernandez have raised over £9,000 to fund their legal action.
The controversy has also attracted high-profile backing from actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, who have publicly backed the campaign. Daisy Green, the new operator of two of the cafes, has promised to retain existing staff and pay them the London living wage, as well as purchase equipment from the current operators where possible.
While the reprieve is temporary, it has given Matthews and Fernandez a much-needed breathing space to continue their fight against the corporation's decision. The fate of the cafes now hangs in the balance, with the outcome uncertain until further notice.
In a reprieve for three north London cafes, their owners have won a temporary stay of execution after successfully challenging the eviction notice issued by the City of London Corporation. The corporation, which manages green spaces including Hampstead Heath, had threatened to evict Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez from their cafes at Parliament Hill Lido, Queen's Park, and Highgate Wood.
The couple, who have run the businesses for several years, accused the corporation of running a commercial exercise in the retendering process, with no regard for transparency or fairness. They claimed that the authority's decision to award new leases to an Australian-inspired chain, Daisy Green, was motivated by a desire to raise money rather than serve the local community.
Matthews and Fernandez have now been informed through their lawyers that they do not need to vacate the premises next week, which would have been impractical for their business. However, the corporation has warned that it may still seek a court order to repossess the cafes if necessary.
The couple's victory has been met with relief from local residents and customers, many of whom have shown support for their efforts through social media and crowdfunding campaigns. Over 22,000 people have signed a petition calling for the corporation to retain the current cafe operators, while Matthews and Fernandez have raised over £9,000 to fund their legal action.
The controversy has also attracted high-profile backing from actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, who have publicly backed the campaign. Daisy Green, the new operator of two of the cafes, has promised to retain existing staff and pay them the London living wage, as well as purchase equipment from the current operators where possible.
While the reprieve is temporary, it has given Matthews and Fernandez a much-needed breathing space to continue their fight against the corporation's decision. The fate of the cafes now hangs in the balance, with the outcome uncertain until further notice.
Those cafe owners didn't give up when faced with an eviction notice, and it paid off! It shows that even in tough times, your voice can be heard and your fight can make a difference. The community came together to support them, and now they get to keep their businesses going. That's the power of collective effort, right? 
It also makes me think about the importance of standing up for what you believe in. Those cafe owners weren't afraid to challenge the corporation's decision, even if it meant going against the odds. That takes a lot of courage! So yeah, this reprieve is a win, but it's also a reminder that we've got to keep pushing forward and fighting for what's right. 
And Daisy Green seems like they're trying to do things the right way... even if it's not exactly what Patrick & Emma had planned.
Does anyone know for sure how this is going to play out?
i'm literally so happy 4 these ppl!! they're bein totally unfair 2 them! daisy green is like just a big corp trying 2 get rich off london's culture 
cant wait 2 c how dis all plays out tho 
The whole thing just seemed fishy with the City Corp wanting to sell out to some new chain...but I'm happy to see they're fighting back and getting support from the community 
Benedict Cumberbatch even got involved, I love him for it 
Still not sure how this will all play out but fingers crossed these cafes stay in London 
I'm SOOO relieved for Patrick and Emma!!! They were literally fighting for their livelihoods and it's amazing they got a reprieve!! 
Like, don't they care about the community or something? 
I'm loving how the people have come together to support them too - 22k signatures on a petition is insane! 
And it's awesome that Benedict and James are backing them too... let's keep this momentum going!!! 
.
. and yeah, 22k+ signatures on that petition is crazy 
Not cool. I'm loving the fact that local residents and customers have come together to show support for Matthews & Fernandez - we need more of this kind of community spirit! 
The 22k+ signatures on that petition are huge, btw... fingers crossed they can keep fighting the good fight #SaveOurCafes #FairnessOverProfit #CommunityFirst 
I'm glad to see that the cafe owners were able to win a temporary reprieve from eviction! It's crazy how quickly corporations can make decisions that affect local businesses and communities. 
Anyway, it's awesome that local residents have come together to support the owners and raise awareness about this issue. I'm sure it'll be a wild ride from here on out... Fingers crossed for the owners! 
so these 2 cafe owners managed to stave off eviction lol how did they do it? 
now lets keep this momentum going & make sure those cafes stay put 
These landlords are always on about 'raising money' but honestly, it's just an excuse to sell out to big business. Can't they see how their decision is hurting local families and small business owners who actually care about this community? It's like they're trying to strangle the life out of our little corner of London. I'm not buying it when they say 'retain existing staff' - that's just code for 'hire cheaper, more obedient staff'. And let's be real, Daisy Green is just a fancy new name for ' corporation-controlled cafe'. We need to keep supporting these independent cafes and show the city council who's boss! 
this is just a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. the city corp should've done better research before pushing out these small business owners... and now what? it'll probably be back to square one once the courts sort things out 
. It's amazing that Patrick and Emma fought back with such determination and even got some top-tier celeb support 
. Now, let's keep our fingers crossed for a more permanent solution that benefits both the cafes and the community 
. And can we talk about how awesome it is to see people coming together through social media & crowdfunding campaigns? It's truly heartwarming to see so many people rallying behind these two talented entrepreneurs 
- the government and its agencies just making life harder for small business owners and the local community. I mean, come on, who needs a high-profile actor to back up a campaign when we have real people like Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez fighting for their livelihoods? 
The City of London Corporation is basically acting like a corporate entity, prioritizing profits over people. And let's not forget, this whole thing started with a commercial exercise in the retendering process... sounds like a classic case of crony capitalism to me! 
now lets see if they can actually get those cafes saved 
