Mrs. Potts Chocolate House will open later this month, contributing to the increasing number of dessert-only shops in the city
A family-run chocolate shop will be opening its third store on St. Mary Street later this month, contributing to the growing culture of eating-out for dessert in Cardiff.
Mrs. Potts Chocolate House currently has cafés in both Bath and Bristol, but will begin its next venture in Cardiff on 20 November.
Opening in the Morgan Quarter, Cardiff’s student population is appealing to the chocolate specialists. Bath and Bristol have large student bases from across four different universities, so it’s a big target market for the dessert shop.
The family also said it admires the independent café and restaurant scene in the city, making it an “ideal location” for expanding the business.
There are currently more than ten dessert shops dotted around Cardiff, located in and around the city centre. This suggests the increasing desire for Cardiff locals to dine out for dessert.
This increased popularity could be connected to the way dessert shops offer customers the chance to take control of their pudding.
By having personalisation available through a multitude of different toppings and flavours, dessert shops rival regular restaurants whose desserts menus are often set to a limited number of options.
Jared Pocock, general manager of Mrs. Potts Chocolate House, was enthusiastic about the specialty of chocolate desserts. He said, “Chocolate is such a special food as it is always there for you. When you’re having a bad day, it lifts you up and makes everything better. At the same time, when you want to celebrate, chocolate is the perfect celebratory food.”
This increased interest in desserts has many parallels with the popularity of the baking show, The Great British Bake Off. While it has been on our screens for more than a decade, its original influence was clear when the sales of baked goods rose by 9.2% between 2010 and 2015.
Five popular dessert restaurants in Cardiff
- Creams, 125-139 Queen Street
- Heavenly Desserts, 1-3 Windsor Place
- Kaspa’s Desserts, 22 St Mary Street
- 39 Desserts, 3 Queen Street
- Coco Gelato, 133B Woodville Road