A cafe owner on Mansfield Road feels her business could be ‘ruined’ by a proposed Starbucks drive-through.
Karen Kitchin, 56, who owns Cafe 112 on Mansfield Road, is concerned that the chain coffee shop could put her “out of business” and that there is “no need for it”.
Mrs Kitchin said: “It will ruin us. There’s no need for a Starbucks, it’s just going to do us out of business instead, especially if it’s a drive-through.”
Situated on the side of the busy road, the cafe gets much of its business from people passing by and popping in, which could be affected by the Starbucks drive-thru.
Mrs Kitchin said: “We get quite a few people coming through grabbing coffee on their way to work. And that’s what we’re known for, coming in and getting right nice coffee. We love it.”
Sheffield City Council posted the planning application for the chain cafe to be erected in the car park at 157 Mansfield Road, which is only a few minutes away from Mrs Kitchin’s local shop.
“It’s just ease. If you’re in your car and there’s nowhere to park up, and you can drive through and not bother getting out of your car, then people will go there instead.”
As well as being worried for her business, Mrs Kitchin is concerned about the traffic it could cause in the area.
“If they allow it, I think it’s going to cause a lot of problems trafficwise down at the bottom of the road. There’s a lot of traffic down there anyway with the school run and I think there could be a lot of cars.”
Cafe 112 prides themselves in being a welcoming hub for groups who live around the area.
Mrs Kitchin said: “It’s a community place. We get loads of groups of people coming through and they all know each other.
“Walking groups will walk for ages, then they’ll come and sit in here and have a cappuccino. You can’t get that in a Starbucks.”
Sheffield City Council are unable to comment as the planning application is still live and cannot be seen to show favour one way or another.
You can view the application and make comments online through the Sheffield City Council website, with the reference number 24/02947/FUL.
