Family run cafe reopens in Cirencester after fire forced closure

The cafe specialises in waffles and it has not been an easy journey for the owners since the incident last year.

During the last eighteen months they have had to deal with insurance companies, planning departments, lockdowns and Covid since the fire which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning on May 31, 2020.

“It has been very stressful,” said Debbie Jenks, owner of He Says She Waffles.

Despite this, the reaction from the public since the reopening of the store has been positive.

“We have a very loyal following and loyal customers,” said Debbie.

“We were also lucky with the weather being quite good recently as we have tables outside.”

As it is half-term this week, the shop is expected to be busy with families and children also preparing for Halloween.

As well as specialising in making waffles with handmade toppings, the cafe also sells coffee by Mozzo, milkshakes in old school pint milk bottles and Ronnafeldt tea.

The fire occurred due to a faulty control panel on one of the commercial fridges at 3am in the morning at the end of May last year.

Fortunately, at the time of the blaze a neighbour was around to alert the fire services once they saw that smoke was coming out of the windows.

Later that morning Debbie arrived at the scene and was shocked at what she saw.

For several days there was a smoke aroma in the area whilst one neighbour in Black Jack Street was treated for smoke inhalation and the independent bike workshop above also had minor smoke damage.

Debbie bought the business from the previous owners four years ago and she now employs her daughter, her best friend and six local students for weekend work.

The establishment is located on Black Jack Street and first opened its doors to the public in August 2012. 

The cafe is closed on Mondays but is open every other day between the hours of 10am and 4pm except for Fridays and Saturdays when it remains open until the slightly later time of 5pm.