Riverside cafe reopens after refurbishment with more improvements planned

A CAFÉ in Benson has officially reopened following refurbishment.

The Waterfront Café at Benson Marina was closed for less than a month while the work took place.

The outdoor decking leading down to the river was replaced and now has new glass barriers separating the balcony from the grass for safety.

The interior was renovated and new kitchen equipment installed together with a glass roof which can be opened and closed depending on the weather.

The opening was carried out Benson Parish Council chairman Bill Pattison who cut the ribbon at a ceremony watched by café staff.

Owner Atul Pathak said: “It was lovely to have Cllr Pattison there. I showed him what we have done and he was very impressed.” He took over the café in August 2022 and said it was in need of refurbishment. Mr Pathak said: “It was very run down and hadn’t been looked after over the years. It has a very loyal customer base so we thought we should give them better facilities. We closed from March 11 to March 29 and had a team working seven days a week as we wanted to reopen quickly for our customers.”

Last year, Mr Pathak tarmacked the café car park, replacing the stones which he said were damaging customers’ cars, and created a disabled bay.

He has also applied for planning permission for a pizza and ice cream kiosk, which is yet to be decided by South Oxfordshire District Council.

The application was criticised by the parish council for failing to provide information about the additional parking needed.

Mr Pathak said: “It’s frustrating but the planning guys are generally happy with it. They asked us to provide a flood risk assessment, which we have done.”