A popular Tenby beachside café will stop serving food after this weekend because the owners say they can't afford to do so any longer. The Dennis Cafe on Castle Beach in Tenby is the latest victim of the cost of living crisis hitting business.
The cafe's owners Mike Linday and his daughter Ebony said the decision to stop serving food from their cafe on the beach in Tenby had caused "a lot of sleepless nights" but they had no other option - it was stop selling food or risk going out of business altogether.
Mike, who has run the cafe for 32 years, said the fuel bills have soared from £15,000 to £50,000, rent for the premises from Pembrokeshire Council has gone up 10% and wage bills 5%. If the stops selling food they can save on gas and electric they have to run for fridge freezers and cooking.
Read more: The Welsh restaurants, cafes and other venues forced to close because of rising costs
Many hospitality businesses have been struggling to cope with rising costs across the board in recent months. Raw materials, fuel, rent and wage bills have risen.
"It's not as bad as it sounds, I always change if I have to. We'll still be selling drinks and cakes, take away sandwiches and ice creams," said Mike.
"We'll also do food on specials nights. We'll take orders so we know how many are coming.
"We are busy all the time but prices have gone up. We're not closing."
Mike said the beach location was perfect in the sunshine but said takings could be hit if the weather was bad. The most popular dish they serve are breakfasts and plenty of people were ordering those on Saturday as news spread that the kitchens were closing.
"This has not been a decision that we have come to lightly and has led to a lot of sleepless nights for us. Due to the rising energy costs, food costs and general running of a business we have decided that this weekend will be the last weekend that our kitchen will be open," Mike and Ebony said.
"In order for us to remain open as a business and not to close down completely this is the best way for us to do so moving forward. We will still be available for private functions and will still be offering catering as an option for these, we will also be having pop up theme nights throughout the summer."
Posting the sad news on the cafe's Facebook page, they added: "We hope you all understand this decision as this business means more to us than anyone will ever know and we’d hate to lose it. So this weekend will be the last weekend the kitchen will be open - so come and grab your last dens breakfast. Kitchen open Saturday and Sunday from 9am til 5pm."
The kitchen will be closed from Monday May 15 but the the cafe and Didi Dens will remain open for homemade cafes, coffees, Pembrokeshire ice creams , beach goods and more.
Customers reacted to the news with sadness. The Facebook post had more than 50 comments from people sharing their regrets.
Lynne Galliford wrote: "It's sad it was one of the best breakfast (sic) in Tenby." Dean Dolye replied: "Oh no! We love that place, but understand completely."
It's the latest in a string of eatery closures thanks to the cost of living crisis. One of the most acclaimed restaurant groups in Wales said it faced a "mind-blowing" annual electricity bill of £500,000 across its five sites. The 44 group has warned that the independent restaurant sector could be almost "wiped out" by fuel price rises.
Last week a long-running café and pizzeria near Newport closed suddenly after almost 30 years in business - Tony's Café and Pizzeria in Risca Road in Crosskeys had been open for 25 years and become a popular haunt for people in the area.
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