R.I.P. Wanstead’s Olive Branch…

Wanstead Olive BranchLong live the Olive Branch.

As Wansteadium revealed in April, the Olive Branch was put up for sale. And the sale has now gone through, the cafe is now under new management. So what does the future hold?

The answer is that the cafe will stay open for the next few weeks, but then it will shut for about six weeks for refurbishment, and will re-open in the autumn as a cafe by day and a Portuguese restaurant by night. The name is as yet a secret, but it won’t be a Nando’s. New proprietor very friendly, so prospects look bright.

Wanstead’s Olive Branch ‘for sale’

It’s mysterious, but it seems that the Olive Branch, one of Wanstead’s popular coffee shops, is up for sale. An advert posted at Christie & Co describes the cafe as offering a “prime location in an affluent area”, with “good day and night footfall”, a “covered pavement area with seats”, and with “scope to improve trade”. The quoted price for the lease is £95,000, though it’s not stated how long this has to run.

There would be plenty of people in Wanstead who would be sorry to see the end of the Olive Branch, if that’s what this advert portends. It’s especially appreciated for being roomy and capable of accommodating families. But competition has seriously increased in the past year with Wanstead’s new Starbucks being rarely less than buzzing.

Any more information welcome at wansteadium[at]googlemail.com or via comments below.