Co-owner of the Royal Arcade takeaway says word of mouth from loyal customers helped them win the accolade
The 23-year-old takeaway restaurant, Fresh, has recently been recognised by TripAdvisor for its highly popular sandwich baguettes.
After the owners were told they had been successful in making it in to TripAdvisor’s list of Travellers’ Choice Award for 2022, it was also revealed the baguette bar had been named in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. This was partly due to a large number of 5-star reviews online from customers.
Co-owner of the tiny Royal business based in Royal Arcade, Gareth Lawton, thanked their consistent and loyal customers for being able to reach the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. “I never ask customers to leave reviews,” he said, “which makes it feel 100% more special to us all here.
“Great reviews and word of mouth is so important for local places like ours, it helps businesses like ours stay open,” he added.
The business shared their great news on their Instagram:
Every weekday Gareth and his small team of five other staff members spend the morning freshly preparing all the ingredients ready for the rush of customers at lunchtime. Fresh produce and thorough daily preparation are key to the success of the baguette bar Gareth says.
A large queue can be seen daily in the arcade snaking outside the small sandwich bar. Numerous hungry and patient customers agree the quality of the fillings and bread is what makes the wait worth it while patiently waiting in the queue.
Gareth revealed that their most popular baguette without fail is their Indian spiced chicken baguette, and that this has been number one for the last 18 years straight!
When asked which baguette was his personal favourite, Gareth admitted it wasn’t the customers’ long-standing favourite, but his is actually the slow-roasted beef with a white truffle sauce.