Popular Ironbridge Gorge cafe extends opening hours on weekends in response to strong 'appetite'

Adam Purnell, the owner of the popular cafe which opened in May 2023, said these extended opening hours are in response to a growing demand among his customers. 

The cafe, which specialises in fire-cooked food and prides itself on using locally-sourced ingredients, had previously launched an evening service on a weekday to expand its offering.

But Adam, also known as 'the Shropshire Lad' on social media, said a number of factors have led to the recent changes, including the ongoing cost of living crisis which has seen many businesses shut their doors for good. 

Speaking to the Shropshire Star, Adam said: “Thursday evenings were quite successful. Then, we decided to do a Friday evening, which was even more successful.

“There was a lot of appetite for people saying they wanted [longer opening hours on] Saturday.

“We have a different team now in the kitchen and in front-of-house and they are all really just very invested in it and want it to work.

“But it's really hard, I couldn't really justify having people in the building sometimes for 13-14 hours on a Thursday and not to be maximizing the money that we could make.

“So switching that to a Saturday just makes sense.”

Adam continued: “It’s a move that I think will allow us to continue; so many places are closing and it's crazy because we're really quite busy but it's quite hard to make money, so we just have to maximize the time that we're in the building.”

It all kicked off on Saturday (March 1) with a dedicated steak night. Customers could choose from seven different steaks, five options for sauces and a wide selection of sides.

Looking back at his journey at Embers Cafe, Adam said he is pleased to see it all head in the “right direction”.

Adam, a former youth worker who began his career in the food industry as a blogger on social media nine years ago, said: “I started off just taking photos of my dinners.

“Things grew and I ended up hosting festivals and doing pop-ups and bits and bobs.

“I always said I'd never open a restaurant, just because I've got a lot of friends in the industry and I had seen how hard and relentless it is, but the space that we're in is pretty unique.

“It's in the woods. It's a beautiful little spot, a hidden gem. We used to come here for coffee a lot, and then it became available.

“I always said that I could do more with this place and then decided to put my money where my mouth is, put my hat in the ring, and then got catapulted into running a cafe-restaurant with no real experience of doing it!

“We've just been learning ever since and it's been evolving since.”

Adam added: “We've found that people come from outside of the county all the time. On Sunday, I cook a roast and I make it my business to speak to everybody as they come in and out and find out where they come from and just how they've enjoyed themselves.

“And so many people right now are coming from Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke, Chester - people are actually making an effort to come to us. 

“It's going in the right direction.”

Find out more information about Embers Cafe via the official website and social media channels.