cafe opening hours are monday 6am till 2am tues morning , same hours tues, weds, thurs… friday till 10pm sat 6am till 2pm.
as things pick up it will be open longer … like 24 hours if we can staff it with someone decent also soon opening sunday mornings till 1…2pm .
the truck park is available all times and soon the parking will be manned 24… 7 when we have talked with owners then there will be access to toilets and showers (when showers built).
hope that is understandable as it looks double dutch to me ! 
Hunter40:
cafe opening hours are monday 6am till 2am tues morning , same hours tues, weds, thurs… friday till 10pm sat 6am till 2pm.
as things pick up it will be open longer … like 24 hours if we can staff it with someone decent also soon opening sunday mornings till 1…2pm .
the truck park is available all times and soon the parking will be manned 24… 7 when we have talked with owners then there will be access to toilets and showers (when showers built).
hope that is understandable as it looks double dutch to me !
Do you get all the income from the parking charges or only a % of it?
i wish we had just some of it lol … all money goes to the market owners that is why we have no real say on price , i would rather it cheaper but that said if we are not getting business from the people parking as they cook in cab then it makes no difference to us if cheap or expensive .I am trying to get them a bit cheaper as they wish to develop the parking side of it have told them they would be better of if cheaper and more trucks rather than expensive and fewer trucks .
Hunter40:
If you’re not getting any of the parking money then where is your profit coming from? 
Truck stops make the bulk of their income from the parking, the food income is pennies. 
Rob K:
Hunter40:
If you’re not getting any of the parking money then where is your profit coming from?
Maybe, but most pubs are supplementing their income with food and snacks, they don’t make enough on wet sales alone.
I used to live in Ross and always avoided the place because of the stories that came out.
As my parents still live there we visit every now and again so will make a point of popping in next time we are up
My routes are all Devon and Cornwall so I’m afraid you won’t be seeing the truck there but some of my colleagues go that way so I’ll give them the tip
Keep the good work Hunter
All the best to you mate,unfortunately my routes don’t take me by you now but I shall spread the good word.
All customers needed and welcome yes i agree the profit comes from parking usually but the market gets money and ray who holds the lease gets a cut but i dont know how much which is why i have more interest in getting trucks in and customers to eat as this is the only way we make any money , this is why i want the showers sorted asap as a selling point but they are so slow here make me feel foolish saying what plans are then they drag feet , it will happen but i need to chase them along a bit i think … will try talk to market guy tomorrow .
Thanks for all words of support
regards hunter40
I’ve just come out of the cafe after a lovely breakfast, I’m a fussy fit so only asked for sausage bacon egg beans and toast and it was very nice and a good size to especially for under a fiver. Proper old school cafe just how I like em, anyway regarding parking if they want to charge £20+ for parking you tell them to pay security it’s not your job!! Good luck I’ll defo be back
Thanks guys , glad you enjoyed the breakfast ollie ! i find when i go over i tend to go for the cheese burger . jess found a good supplier with 80 and 100 percent burgers that both taste great with the cheese and onions , that sets me up for hours he also found local supplier of good free range eggs , little more expensive but much fresher !! worth the difference in price. if he has enough stock he will sell the eggs £3.50 a tray .
been on to market people and he says the builders coming in the next week to see what is best plan for the showers … i suggested maybe one of the toilet cubicles could be made larger and keep the toilet pan in with shower keeping things together so to speak would still leave toilet free for other users as would still have cubicle and urinals .
also they are definately putting ladies shower and already have ladies toilet there ,its just getting things that we can access toilets and showers at night without putting the rest of the building at risk of outsiders breaking in to the offices etc . maybe the security guy could have a set up inside the door as long as he gets his lazy ■■■ up to look around the trucks regular .
regards hunter 40
Alot more trucks are coming in ,but not many drivers are eating 
, dont know why the food is good, thats the feedback from the drivers who do eat there,i called in for cuppa & jess said if it doesnt pick up then there will be no point carrying on, at the moment hes lucky to earn £2 a hour, thats it : Huge Breakfast,2 bacon,2sauage,2black pudding,egg,beans,tomatoes,fried bread,mushrooms& toast £4.60,
Homemade chicken curry with rice or chips £4.00
Homemade faggots(2) onion gravy,mushy peas & chips £4.20
2 sauage,2eggs beans& chips £3.50
Cheeseburger & chips £3.50
1/2 lb cheesburger & chips £4.50
2black pud,2bacon,2eggs & chips £3.80
Rolls / sandwiches prices from £1.90 to £4.20.
just some of the menu,
Please take note that all food is under a £5
just to let you know it is proper chicken chunks in the curry 
After visiting this place several times in the past I avoided after last experience a couple of years ago.
However I happened to be passing by on Monday so decided to stop by with one of our other drivers…
What a suprise we had, the place is clean now…
and the bacon n mushroom roll I had was delicious, proper bacon not cheap cack and REAL mushrooms not tinned cack…I did tell them I would put a little piece on here as I was leaving.
Thanks, you filled a gap in my stomach
triker1:
Alot more trucks are coming in
Homemade chicken curry with rice or chips £4.00
Homemade faggots(2) onion gravy,mushy peas & chips £4.20
2 sauage,2eggs beans& chips £3.50
Cheeseburger & chips £3.50
1/2 lb cheesburger & chips £4.50
2black pud,2bacon,2eggs & chips £3.80
Rolls / sandwiches prices from £1.90 to £4.20.
just some of the menu,
Please take note that all food is under a £5
just to let you know it is proper chicken chunks in the curry
I did say earlier in this thread that I couldn’t see any possible way of your surviving on food sales alone…
You NEED to get the parking costs going into your pocket, or at least a reasonable % of it. The landlord must be laughing his socks off as ALL the juicy money is going straight into his pocket for doing ■■■■ all AND he’s getting rent from you as well. Unless you can change that then I think the future is gonna be bleak for you and any other folks trying to make a living from the cafe. I think a reality check could be the order of the day. 
I think rob is right the guy is taking the ■■■■. I think you need to sit down with him and talk about a proper deal where all truckers paying get a fiver voucher and then you share the profits he still does nothing but you’ll both be earning quids. I can’t see it lasting otherwise which is a shame as you’ve really turned it round 
Hunter40, just a suggestion, maybe you could try spreading the net for customers a bit wider 
What about making Bikers welcome and maybe caravanners & motorhomers they all have forums somewhere on the internet. The travelling season is upon us and lots of clubs get out on the road maybe you might be able to make your place the ‘ONE AND ONLY’ stop off for the ubiquitous “Bacon Butty”
Everyone who has visited your place recently has given positive feedback about the food, the value for money and above all the way you have improved the hygeine/cleaniness of the place 
It would be very sad if all your hard work was to fail because us truckers were unable to support you because of routeing & schedule’s.
All the best mate
Regards
Dave Penn;
Hunter, are you open this Sunday? Me & the wife are travelling back from a wedding at Craven Arms, and a coffee & bacon butty would hit the spot
If you don’t get a chance to answer, we’ll have a look anyhow. Hope to catch ya…
In addition to my last post, the other problems you’ve got are
a) the stigma left over from the previous tenants, and believe me, you ask any trucker in the country about R-O-W truckstop and 99.9% will tell you it’s a [zb] hole and the food will kill you. And I’m not exaggerating. That is going to take a long time to lose and one thread on a trucker site is not going to cure that overnight. Yes this is a good place to start and word is now getting around (here at least) that the food is now good, but you’re gonna need a lot more than that to make any real impression, which leads me to
b) you need signs up EVERYWHERE saying that the filthy ■■■■■ scum that used to run the gaff are history and it’s new under new management with fresh home cooked food. I don’t care how you do it, it needs to be done otherwise you’ll be forever flogging a dead horse.
c) location. Yes it’s on a main route, but unless you do a lot of S Wales coast - north/central England or beyond, it’s not the best location.
d) guaranteed way of getting truckers in - do the overnight parking ticket inclusive of a main dinner up to a fiver. Majority of overnighting truckers get their parking paid, so by including a meal in the price they’re essentially getting their tea (dinner for the posh people) for free. You need to do this in such a way that the actual parking ticket doesn’t mention anything about the meal; have it as a tear off slip or something.
d is most important one. Unless you can sort that out I think you’ll be wasting your time continuing… Sounds like your hands are tied too tightly to me.
davepenn54:
Hunter40, just a suggestion, maybe you could try spreading the net for customers a bit wider
What about making Bikers welcome and maybe caravanners & motorhomers they all have forums somewhere on the internet. The travelling season is upon us and lots of clubs get out on the road maybe you might be able to make your place the ‘ONE AND ONLY’ stop off for the ubiquitous “Bacon Butty”
;
I agree with this one too, well the bit about bikers anyway 
Hiya Hunter…try ringing Lynn at the Raven truck stop in prees heath.that cafe was a right dump
she moved in about 12 years ago and wow you need to see it now.she dose a big breakfast
for bikers and its an offical meet now 1000’s of bikes she must have 10 staff that sunday(last week)
on the last thursady of the month another bike night. she has a sunday roast all the oldies go
for that …she has the north wales truck run in one sunday.i should think you can sit maybe 70
punters and its nealy always full . she stuck at it and now she’s reaping the benifit,
i hope it can work for you…sorry i don’t do work any more so can only pop in if passing
wich may happen this year.I’ve read as you’ve improved and things sound good.
cheers John
Wow lots of great advice ! … sarge it will be open sunday so please pop in and say hi to jess , i totally agree with the idea of us getting a percentage of parking money also about the meal vouchers of £5 which would mean parking fee of £16 inc voucher .
As ray owns the kit that is on site then we will have to carry on paying for the use of it even though it is very hard at the moment .
We do get the bikers in sometimes and all seem happy with the place also tom who had the place before advertised for bikers welcome … we are going to get the signs on main road for cattlemarket changed to say about truck parking and food also talking with council about the signs on tuesday .
The builders have been about showers so i will go see when they doing them and push for answers on the parking issues including secure parking .
Thanks for all the responce much appreciated.
Regards hunter 40 … and jess !