"It just felt right": Excitement as woman leaves corporate world to take over Cafe on the Green

Today (Wednesday, August 20), Kirstie Craig has officially opened the doors to Cafe on the Green, in Allaway Avenue, after spending the past six weeks refurbishing the site.

The 38-year-old, who has previous experience working in the hospitality industry, left her job in project management at Virgin Media in the hope of running her own business.

Kirstie said: “Last year I decided it was time for a change and decided I wanted to work for myself and thought that with my experience in hospitality, my skill sets worked well together.

“I spent a few months looking for the right opportunity and then this came up and that was it really - It just felt right.”

Although today is the first official day of the Cafe on the Green being managed by Kirstie, she has been tirelessly working to give the site a new lease of life. With a fresh lick of paint, new furniture and a new kitchen floor, the cafe has been transformed into a cosy and wholesome food spot.

Kirstie added: “It’s exciting, I’m really looking forward to seeing how it progresses over the next few weeks and months, and see where we take it.

“It has been really positive so far. Everyone who has popped their head in has said they are excited to try it and happy that another place has opened up.”

A brand new menu has also been created and introduced to celebrate the new management, with a strong focus on breakfast. A lunch menu will also be serving up traditional dishes with Kirstie saying the team are starting off simple while they find their feet.

She added: “I think the place has real potential, and it might sound a bit cheesy but a cafe, a good cafe, can be a proper hub of a community and I think there is such a large residential area here that I’m really hoping we can make it work.

“Menu-wise, we’ve tried to keep it fairly straightforward with a traditional cafe menu - just good wholesome food.”

For more information about Cafe on the Green, click here.