The boss of Tyneside Cinema has told how rocketing energy bills and food prices led to the decision to close its popular Coffee Rooms - a move which has shocked customers who called it the 'end of an era'.
Simon Drysdale, chief executive of Tyneside Cinema which is a charity, has explained the financial reasons behind the decision - but he also offers some hope for the future to fans of the much-loved cafe. Tyneside Coffee Rooms, which dates from 1938, will close from Sunday, following its last day of business on Saturday, and the cinema is now to focus its food and drink operations on its remaining two venues, the ground-floor Tyneside Bar Cafe and Vicolo.
Since the news was announced on Wednesday on the cinema's Facebook page, customers have been reacting with sadness, with comments including "Its closure will leave a hole in our lives" and "What a shame. Truly the end of an era" while one wrote: "Terrible news" adding that it will be a huge loss to North East heritage and culture. "
Read more: the story of Tyneside Coffee Rooms in pictures
Others called the Coffee Rooms a Newcastle institution with some sharing memories of being regulars there since the sixties. Many enjoyed its relaxed and classic vibe and among other responses were "where on earth is there anywhere like it?" and "Dreadful news - I’ve gone there since I was a child. "You could meet anyone of any age there and all would be well and conversation would flow".
There has been criticism of the decision but much of the reaction has been well-measured, says Simon who actually has been heartened by the response. "I'm quite pleased with it," he says. "It shows people love the cinema rooms."
He knows many people are sad and disappointed but says that, while rising costs mean they can't afford to keep the cafe operating as it is - although it will host occasional special events - he doesn't rule out a future reopening if the situation improves: "Never say never".
He adds: "The Coffee Rooms is still there and when things calm down, prices reduce a bit and things are settled, and I hope they will, there's absolutely no reason we wouldn't consider reopening the Coffee Rooms".
But right now, it's just not viable. Simon took over at the venue in 2020 and, with a new team of staff in place, has helped Tyneside Cinema weather the challenges of lockdown - when a fund-raising campaign proved critical to its survival - and then the huge damage caused by a flood which delayed its reopening. Now it is doing its best to cope as the cost of living crisis hits.
The Coffee Rooms closure is "quite simply just about the cost of everything", he says and that includes paying staff - "we're a real living wage employer and are very proud of that" - to gas and electricty bills which are "going to be three times what they were last year". Simon points out: "We have a responsibility to support the charity and the charity is the cinema, not the restaurant."
Food costs too are sky high. "It's unusual that an independent cinema runs three catering outlets," he says and in response to why the upstairs Coffee Rooms is the one to go, he explains: "More people use the bar-cafe downstairs; it's easier to access and is a more practical space in terms of operations, with a bigger bar."
No staff will be lost through the closure: instead the teams will be brought together downstairs rather than sustain two kitchens and favourites from the Coffee Rooms' menu, such as the popular cakes made by its French patisserie chef, are to be added to a new menu being launched in the bar-cafe which Simon says is a popular meeting place for all ages.
The public still will be able to visit the Coffee Rooms when it opens for special events like themed afternoon teas linked to a film screening, with one coming up for Mother's Day. Thanks to Heritage Lottery funding, in place before Covid hit, the revamped Coffee Rooms has a quality sound system and a pull-down screen and Simon says: "We want to use it more regularly for events like that."
The cinema is doing its best to cater for all and its popular monthly Silver Screen events have now re-started so that over-60s can enjoy top films for just £6 - and a coffee and slice of cake available to add for just a pound more. Its members too play a very important role and the team are to look at ways of boosting incentives.
Simon says: "Running any cultural institution at the moment is really hard - everyone is having a hard time of it and we're suffering the sharp end of two things: rising costs, which are unavoidable, and the fact some audiences haven't returned since the pademic." Christmas, luckily, was a different story.
"At Christmas we had as many people then as we had in pre-pandemic times and they spent more money - which was fantastic." But come January people appeared to be tightening their belts again.
"Overall, things are coming back but it's slow and at the same time we have all the cost pressures. It's a tough time to run a cinema." Sometimes films on their programme might not fare as well as they expect; other times there are surprises such as the gentle-paced Oscar-nominee After Sun, which is doing very well, and Bafta-nominated Blue Jean, a film about a lesbian teacher which was filmed in Newcastle and is having a broad take-up.
The Tyneside is doing what it can to adapt to change. With more people enjoying flexibility at work since Covid, Fridays - which used to be busy - are often now the chosen day for home-working so Thursdays have become the night for a post-work treat.
"So, we are adapting to slightly different behaviour of audiences," says Simon. But the cinema experience, compared to sitting at home watching Netlfix, is always going to appeal to true film fans and where the Tyneside scores is in its independence which allows it to be "completely different" to the multiplex chains. It's a place to enjoy film and talk about it with others who do, including its staff who are passionate about movies, says Simon.
"The biggest thing for me is how different we are to any other cinema. We are the friendliest place and what many people might not realise is that we are the most comfortable - our seats are specially-made cinema seats." When he took over in 2020, it was in the wake of a scandal at the cinema concerning allegations of sex abuse, bullying and harassment which led to an independent review.
His job included implementing the huge number of changes and the review's recommendations with the result that the cinema is now an entirely different place, with a happy atmosphere, he says. For anyone who might not have been back since, he urges "give us a chance".
He is hugely proud of what has been achieved, saying: "It's a brilliant place." He and the team are always thinking of ways to make it better for customers and while the Friends of Tyneside membership is stable at the moment, the hope is to encourage more engagement with the likes of Q&As and special events.
Another fund-raising scheme may be on the cards too. "We are constantly looking at everything to make the business sustainable for the future," says Simon. For more about Tyneside Cinema and what's on offer see here.
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