York independent café Bar Hashery has opened a new venue following great success, despite financial difficulties hitting other local businesses in the city.

The business first opened its doors in Bootham in 2023 after owners Jolanta and Prafful, took over the existing Bar Hashery site from its previous owner. Since then, the bustling independent café has expanded to York Railway Station, Parliament Square and Micklegate. It has successfully built a loyal customer base and acquired a diverse team.

After taking over the previous ‘Doe‘ bakehouse, the new Layerthorpe site marks the café’s biggest expansion yet, providing more than 3,000 square feet of space for its bakery operation and allowing the team to increase in-house production after previously struggling with limited kitchen space and storage capacity.

George, who has worked at the business for almost four years, said demand for the café’s pastries and baked goods has quickly grown, and encouraged the need for a larger location. Dedicated staff regularly work from the early morning, and continue baking until the late evening to distribute each morning to all York sites.

Reflecting on the beginnings of Bar Hashery, George said:

“The backstory to Bar Hashery begins with our managers, Jolanta and Prafful, who went into the city centre a few years ago for coffee and met a lady who originally owned the Micklegate venue, and wanted to retire. This was after the pandemic, and Prafful was looking for job opportunities. At the time, there weren’t many independent cafés and places to get speciality coffee, especially after the effects of COVID-19. After some time of getting to know each other, the previous owner invited Jolanta and Prafful to take over Bar Hashery, which used to be a sandwich bar.”

“One new feature of the Bar Hashery in Layerthorpe is the children’s play area. We included this as it is an example of how we prioritise connecting and putting our customers first. An example being a time our manager was holding a customer’s baby to let her have a break to eat and drink properly. He thought, okay, she might be having a bad day and struggling and offered to hold her baby as he wasn’t busy. What I’ve learned from working here is to really understand other people, especially in the world we live in right now.”

As well as the production needs, the expansion was also driven by the growing recognition the business has received across York, particularly with the fresh and unique pastries and selection of hot dishes that the business says were uncommon in York when Bar Hashery was first starting.

Alongside its success and growth, Bar Hashery says maintaining a strong sense of community remains central to the motivation of the business. The team and staff describe themselves as working towards the same goal, with their work ethic being built around understanding people and creating genuine connections with customers and colleagues alike.

The new Layerthorpe opening has already seen support from returning and new customers in its first few weeks, whilst allowing the team to focus on its quality, hospitality, and customer experience. It is open every day from 7 am-5 pm, with seating areas and a children’s play area.

For more information on Bar Hashery, visit: https://barhashery.co.uk/