THE owners of a popular tearoom in Worcester are leaving the business – and have begun the search for a successor.
Sam Ellis and her son, Macoi, have announced they intend to leave Tipsy Teacup within the next few months after almost two years on Friar Street.
It comes as the pair have grown to realise that the hospitality industry is not for them.
Mrs Ellis said: “We have never worked in hospitality, we’ve not even had a job in a pub, so this was a completely new experience, and we went into it as complete novices.
“It has surpassed our expectations in terms of how successful it has been, because we thought we would be done in six months.
“But where we are now is that hospitality is not for us. We are not enjoying it; we are enduring it.
“While there are elements of it I have loved, like the hosting and Macoi has really liked the cooking, there are far more facets to it that we really do not enjoy.”
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Tipsy Teacup was opened as a family-led operation in October 2024.
After working through a difficult first year, Tipsy Teacup is now at a point where it is making money, and Mrs Ellis does not want to see that go to waste.
As a result, she is looking for someone to take over the business.
FLASHBACK: Signs announcing the teacup’s opening appeared in the windows of 45 Friar Street in September 2024 (Image: Newsquest)
She said: “We have done the typical cycle in starting a business where you are making a loss, then you are breaking even, and we are currently in the ‘making a living’ stage.
“We have future bookings, and it is doing well, but it needs another six months to a year before we get to ‘making a good living’.
“This is something I want to be very transparent about: the business is not failing; there is no hidden agenda behind us passing it on.
“We did not buy the tearoom, we were handed the keys to it, so the only money we have put into it was for the refurbishment.”
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After their experience with Tipsy Teacup, Mrs Ellis has some key advice for anyone interested in taking over.
She said: “It should be somebody who loves hospitality and has experience in hospitality, and probably somebody who can bake cakes.
“You need somebody who would lean into that.”
