Bristol café featured by UK government for its social distancing measures

"Hopefully this means our customers can feel even safer when they come here"

A café in Bristol has been used as an example of how other food and drink businesses across the UK should implement their social distancing measures by the government.  

Sweven on North Street reopened for takeaway on May 14 with a number of measures in place to protect staff and customers from contracting coronavirus.

Soon after reopening owners Jimmy and Aga Dimitrov were approached by Bristol City Council and asked to produce a short video outlining the precautions they had taken, to show those who run similar businesses how it should be done.

The video was then sent to the UK government which was so impressed with the Bedminster café's system it shared it on Twitter, via its Cabinet Office account.

"It was an honour to be approached by the council and the fact the government have shared the video gives us confidence that the measures we've put in place are the correct ones," said Jimmy, who was head of education for Clifton Coffee Roasters before launching Sweven with his wife.

"Hopefully this means our customers can feel even safer when they come here for their coffee and cakes.

"We've been fortunate that all of our customers have been really understanding and cooperative when it comes to following the rules, and as a result there's been a really nice atmosphere since we reopened."

What is Sweven's system?

Jimmy and Aga have marked out a queueing system on the shop floor with four boxes spaced two metres apart leading to the counter in a clockwise direction, with arrows clearly directing customers between boxes.

They have installed a perspex screen at the till and place customers' coffee and cakes at a designated collection point away from others when it's ready, ensuring there is no contact whatsoever.

A queuing system has also been marked out on the pavement outside the café for busy periods.

The couple are also undertaking more cleaning including regularly wiping down all surfaces, and wearing gloves at all times.

"We decided to put boxes on the floor rather than lines as we think they are more visual and easier to follow," added Jimmy.

"With lines there is less structure and you're more likely to cross them without even realising, but boxes make it easier for you to keep your distance from others.

"We're lucky that we have a fairly big space to work with and that the door is always open, which means people can come in, order, pay and collect their items without having to touch any surfaces at all."

All takeaway coffees are served in compostable Vegware packaging and many of the cakes on offer are handmade by Aga, who was formerly Boston Tea Party's head trainer for eight years.

Sweven Coffee is located at 12 North Street, Bristol BS3 1HT. It is open every day between 9am - 4pm except Tuesday.