Dog-friendly tearooms to close as bills soar

A popular dog-friendly Portstewart tearoom is to close after its owner revealed he could no longer keep up with soaring costs, including an electricity bill just shy of £4,000.

Richard Stewart-Brown’s typical bill when he opened Molly Browns Dog Friendly Tea Room in 2018 would be around £2,000, but it has now soared amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The family-owned business will now close in September.

A post on Facebook read: “We are sad to announce that Molly Browns will be closing in September.
When we opened there was 7 coffee shops on the promenade. Now there are 17. With an increase in rent, food costs at an all time high and energy costs through the roof we decided this is the right time to move on.

“We have some very exiting new projects coming up in the next year and we are very excited for the new lease holders of 52 The Promenade and can’t wait to share with you their business that will be replacing Molly Browns.

“We have had an amazing 4 years on the promenade but we are very happy to move on and focus on our next business adventure. Without Molly Browns we wouldn’t have been able to do so many things like start our own family.

“So to each and every customer that has supported us, thank you, thank you for all the cards and comments over the years. We will miss our regulars that have been loyal to us over the years.
We hope that you will visit us in our new business which we hope to launch in October.

“And of course a massive thank you goes to all the staff over the years but a special mention to Elaine, Arlene, Heather and Caroline for helping me along the way and for all the good times we shared at Molly Browns Tea by the Sea 2018-2022

“Richard, Niall and Molly Brown “