Baileys 2 in Bury St Edmunds celebrates 15 years in business

The owner of an award-winning Bury St Edmunds café which is celebrating its 15th year has thanked staff and customers for supporting them through the highs and the lows.

Dean and Louise Foster opened Baileys 2, in Whiting Street, in 2009 – having taken over the then Bailey’s café, which had been running for five years.

Since then, it has gained the title of best café in Suffolk on numerous occasions, including being crowned as the county’s favourite coffee spot in a poll last month.

Mr Foster, who used to work as a pastry chef in Michelin star restaurants, credited the success to his customers and ‘hard-working’ staff.

“Without them, there is nothing,” he said. “If you turn over your staff too much or don’t have a good customer base, you don’t have the substance for a really good business.

“Obviously good food is important too, but people won’t come to you if the service is terrible.”

The father-of-two said he felt humbled to still be thriving in the hospitality industry 15 years later, especially after the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

He said he wanted to thank his customers for supporting his business, including the difficult times for his family.

His son, now seven, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of six months.

Mr Foster also cut off three of his fingers while he was constructing a bar at the front of the premises. They were sewn back at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

He said his support network allowed him to keep going during his son’s cancer diagnosis.

“We had beautiful staff” he added. “They knew we needed to take a step back and have supported us.

“You get humbled by the generosity of customers, and I think it’s quite nice, after 15 years, to say thank you for supporting us.

“Not having to work for someone else and be able to make your own destiny is just phenomenal.

“We worked so hard to get to this stage; we just want to enjoy it.”