Entrepreneur converts men's public toilet into cafe
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The idea may be enough to put some people off their lunch, but one savvy entrepreneur has decided to convert a Victorian men’s public toilet into a fashionable new café.
The Attendant Café, on Foley Street, West London, has been thoroughly cleaned and refurbished to make it comfortable for customers to eat in.
The café, which opened on February 18, still features the original Doulton & Co 1890s porcelain urinals which have been converted into individual booths for people to sit at.
The refurbishment of the disused public toilet cost owner peter Tomlinson £100,000 to pull off.
The entrepreneur came up with the idea and defends the café’s hygiene.He told the BBC: ‘Everything has been jet washed and the soil stacks have been concreted and capped.
Customers are treated to gourmet sandwiches by a chef who previously worked at Michelin-star restaurant Pollen Street Social.
The cafe aims to give the best quility food with their meticulously sourced produce including coffee beans from Kings Cross' Caravan Roastery, and milk from one of the 120 cows at the Ivy House Farm in Somerset.
The cast-iron exterior of the property is set to attract attention but the interior makes the most striking impact.
The attendant’s office has been converted into a kitchen and urinals are now table tops.
The idea takes advantage of London’s cheaper commercial spaces, allowing the owner to avoid the capital’s rising property prices.
It is open from 7.30am till 17.30pm Monday to Friday.