Father and son achieve “dream” by reopening The Granary Café in Watlington

A FATHER and son have achieved their “dream” of opening a business together.

Ran Parajuli, 54, and Sashakata, 30, have reopened The Granary Café in High Street.

The venue had been closed since August last year after its previous operator left.

The pair, who are originally from Nepal and live in Didcot, had wanted to work together again having previously run a boutique hotel about 10 years ago.

Mr Parajuli jnr said: “We were looking for a long time, about eight years.

“Then we realised that there is nothing called ‘perfection’, you have to make the place that you want to run perfect.

“We chose Watlington over somewhere like Didcot because, here, people know each other very well and we thought that we could provide something that they needed. Here, people are like a family. It’s a dream.”

The café serves a range of hot and cold drinks, as well as sandwiches, breakfast options and hot food. There is also a cake and pastry counter.

Mr Parajuli jnr said: “Footfall has been good. I think it has been a community hub for everyone and that’s what we want to keep.

“I have regular customers who come in every day and I know how much the café means to them.

“We are really happy to see them and their smiles. It’s not just about the café, it’s about the community it serves.”

The café currently operates with a team of six staff.

Nicole Wright, 20, who lives in Watlington, had worked as sous chef at the café for three years.

She said: “I was really sad when the café closed in August. As soon as I learned that it was reopening and looking for staff again, I took the opportunity and messaged them straight away.

“The new owners definitely want to keep it familiar, so that it doesn’t feel like anything has changed.

“From day one, they’ve said that they want us to feel like a family and it’s our second week opening and we really have become a family.”

Ms Wright said that the café sources all of its ingredients locally, including buying their meat from the Calnan Brothers butchers in High Street.

She added: “Over the last two weeks, every time I’ve popped my head out of the kitchen, I’ve seen so many faces that I’ve never seen before. I think word is spreading, and that’s amazing.”

Amy Nunn, 23, lives in Lewknor and works at the café as a barista, with her twin sister, Holly. She worked at the café in 2020 but rejoined the staff when it reopened.

Miss Nunn said: “When the café closed down, it was a bit of a shock but I’m really happy that I got the opportunity to come back here again and work.

“We’re very good friends too. They always ask how we are, and how we used to do things before, and they want to keep that.

“Everyone that has come in has said that they’re so glad we’re open again, and it’s really nice to hear. I love making people happy and giving them their coffee. It’s so nice.”

She added: “I had a couple come in from Greater London. They’d heard about The Granary opening and they travelled all the way out here. It’s quite a trek!”

Karen Byer, a regular, has lived in Watlington for 21 years. She said: “I know the previous owner and I noticed that it had reopened after a while. This is actually my first time back here. I think the menu is quite similar to what it was before.

“I like that they have a dog menu as well. The previous owner loved dogs but, obviously they have taken that on as well, which is really good because lots of people like to bring their dogs here.

“I will definitely come back. I’m only around the corner, so it’s good to have a café available in Watlington that lots of people come to meet at.”

Nigel Mpfou lives in Watlington and said he has never visited the café before.

Mr Mpfou said: “I was taking a walk a couple of weeks ago, and when we went past the café, we saw people working inside, and we thought that it must be reopening soon.

“Today, we were in town and thought we’d stop here for lunch. We’ll try their coffee, try their food, and then that will say a lot.”

David and Gail Lane, along with their dog, Milo, live in Reading, and were regulars at the café previously.

Mr Lane said: “We used to visit about twice a month before it closed. We can bring the dog too, that’s the main thing.

“The cafe looks like a restaurant now, and previously, it was mainly sandwiches and lunch food.”

Photo