The Bookstore Deli + Restaurant, Erith

Exciting announcement... This is a call out for a new cafe partner! We are looking for an individual or business with an exciting vision for a new cafe / food + drink outlet at The Exchange.

COULD THAT BE YOU?
Back in February 2019, The Exchange opened a cafe (we called it “The Bookstore” after the historic use of the space) and it quickly became a local favourite, recognised for its quality offer and beautiful setting.

As the Exchange developed it became clear the way the cafe offer was delivered needed to change. We therefore decided at the end of last year to reach out for a cafe partner to take on operations and continue to grow this valued community resource.

For more details and to apply, check the link in our bio. Please reach out with any questions.

Message from the Co-Directors

Dear all,

We know you have all been waiting patiently for the report on The Bookstore. This process is nearly complete, and you can expect it within the coming weeks. We want you all to know that the Board is going as fast as it can – these things take time, the Board all give their support as volunteers, and we have to respect the need for key members of the team to take a break from what has been a stressful and exhausting few years.

However, we do want to let you know now that at the moment it is not viable to open The Bookstore – we do not have the skilled resource we need to open it up and run it in a way that we can be confident that no more problems arise. The Board continue to look at the future plans for reopening and will be in touch with you as soon as they have completed their work.

Many thanks again for your patience,

Sarah + Peter

STATEMENT FROM THE BOARD - THE BOOKSTORE

The Exchange's Board of Trustees have released another statement regarding The Bookstore. Here is an excerpt, and you can find the full statement via the link below.

"Further to our statement published on 9th August, the Exchange’s Board of Trustees wanted to inform our members/shareholders, supporters and the wider community that the investigation into the situation in The Bookstore is ongoing.

As an interim measure, The Board has decided to keep The Bookstore closed as we do not believe that the organisation currently has the capacity to be able to open up and do the work required to fully understand and address the issues that need to be addressed.

We want to be clear, that it is only The Bookstore affected – the wider Exchange programme of workshops, events, Erith Made, the Garden Room and access to the garden continues, and we hope that what is happening in The Bookstore does not prevent you from supporting the work of the wider staff, volunteer and partner team. And we want to reassure you that the decision to temporarily close The Bookstore, and our actions as a Board, have been taken in consultation with our funders, and in the best interests of the whole organisation.

Throughout this investigation, our priority has been, and will continue to be, the safeguarding of all people affected – those who regularly attend and love The Bookstore, and those who work there. It is essential that our members and shareholders are involved in this process with us, but it is also imperative that the full context of the current situation is understood, in fairness to all, and this takes time. There are very real people involved in this situation and we have a responsibility to their health, well-being and careers..."

Follow this link for the full statement: https://www.theexchangeerith.com/bookstore-board-statement

Just a heads up that Wool + Wine is cancelled this month due to The Bookstore being closed. Sorry for any disappointment!

Crochet Corner is still going ahead though - Thursdays 11am-1pm in the Town Square here at The Exchange.

A STATEMENT FROM OUR BOARD:

Dear members, stakeholders and The Exchange Community,

The Bookstore recently had a visit from the Food Safety team. The results of that report were quite serious, highlighting major improvement required. We made the decision to close The Bookstore in order to rectify these issues through renewed and improved hygiene training for our staff, getting our paperwork up to date, and ensuring that our kitchen and front of house are in the best condition they can and should be.

The Board of The Exchange would like to assure our members, stakeholders and the wider community that we take the issues The Bookstore is currently facing extremely seriously. We are actively supporting Louisa, Sarah and Peter to develop and implement the procedures required to rectify the situation.

Read the whole statement here:
https://www.thebookstoreerith.com/

Hello everyone,

Some of you may have seen that we recently had a visit from the Food Safety team. The results of that report were quite serious, highlighting major improvement required within The Bookstore. Over the last few weeks, we have been rectifying these issues through renewed and improved hygiene training for our staff, getting our paperwork up to date, and ensuring that our kitchen and front of house are in the best condition they can and should be.

Coming in today, we felt that there is still more to do to ensure that the highest standards of food safety and customer service are embedded into the culture (this is how we started, and this is how we mean to go on) so we have decided to remain closed while we deliver further training and support to staff, so that the right procedures are not only put in place but sustained and lived by every member of the team.

We are sorry for any inconvenience that this causes, and we apologise for letting you down.

Please bear with us while we get things back on track.

Exchange Co-Directors, Sarah + Peter

It’s the 2nd of our BBQ season this week!! Our classic bookstore burgers will be available from 6pm!! 🍔

This Wednesday 26th July we will be closed due to staff training. We will be open as usual the rest of this week!

Join us for Burgers on Friday night as part of our BBQ season!! 🍔

Thursday- 9am-11pm
Friday - 9am- 11pm
Saturday- 9am- 11pm
Sunday- 10am- 4pm

Join us from 6pm this evening for supper club. It’s fish and chip week 👏🏼🎣

Chef’s Table is tomorrow evening! Get your last minute tickets now - link in bio 🤍🍷✨

There's still a few tickets available for this month's Chef's Table at The Bookstore - get yours now!

Saturday 22 July | 7pm - late

Menus and booking: https://www.thebookstoreerith.com/chefs-table-menu

Our next Chef's Table is coming up in just over a week - don't miss out on your tickets! This month we have a very fresh, summery menu designed by our amazing Head Chef, Louisa Budds.
You can choose between a 3- or 5-course menu, vegan and vegetarian options are available. Book your tickets now here - https://www.thebookstoreerith.com/chefs-table-menu

BBQ season is back!! Join us every other Friday night where the Supper club menu will be a BBQ takeover!

This Friday 14th July we are kicking off the season with a South American inspired menu! Think light and zesty vibes!! Meat and vegetarian options available!

Friday started the right way! Come and get a coffee made by the talented Pascale (or a cocktail - it’s past midday!) in our sunny garden! The Garden Room, our new retail space, is also open today. ☀️

This weeks supper club is an absolutely classic!! Our super cheesy and rich Lasagna will be available from 6pm Friday 7th July.

Join us this evening from 6pm for Supper club!!

This week we have our delicious chicken and saffron risotto with vegetarian and kids options also available!!

QUUUUIZZZZZ NIGHT! This Saturday, 1 July at The Bookstore.
Get your team together and come along - prizes for the winning team!
£5pp on the door - DM us to reserve a table!

Our next Chef's Table menus have just dropped!
Join us on Saturday 22 July for our new summery menu. Choose from 3 or 5 course meals, with vegetarian and vegan options available. Get your tickets now!
Check out the menus here: https://www.thebookstoreerith.com/chefs-table-menu

Friday means supper club! Enjoy the warm summer evening in our garden and treat yourself to dinner with us tonight. From 6-11pm 🎣

Make like Reece and come and work from our garden! Grab an iced latte and live your best life in our sunny courtyard. It feels a bit like paradise at the moment 🍃🌸

Due to shortage of staff we will be closing at 5pm this Saturday 24th June. Wool + Wine will be moving to Friday instead.

Join us for wool + wine from 6pm Friday 23rd June 🧶🍷

Supper club this week has had a bit of a summer revamp! 🌞

Join us from 6pm for our deliciously light and fresh crab and tomato linguine! We have a sumptuous Mediterranean version for vegetarians/ vegans. 🍝

Our next Chef's Table is this Saturday!
Book your tickets now to experience fine dining in the heart of Erith.
This picture is from our first ever Chef's Table, earlier this year. It was a hearty, warm meal during the cold winter - this month you can expect summery, fresh dishes, designed to reflect the season. Check out the menus and book your tickets now!
https://ow.ly/2amF50OLZQZ

Our new programmes have just arrived! Pop into The Exchange to pick up our programme of upcoming events for July - September, or check them all out on our website. If you'd like a monthly reminder of goings-on straight into your inbox, you can sign up to our mailing list via our website.
And a little note from me: I sent them to print without realising that the opening hours for The Bookstore were wrong. Despite what it says, we ARE open on Wednesdays 9am-5pm, and Thursdays 9am-11pm. Whoops! 😅