York business owners cried tears of joy after winning an award that showed “the people are behind us”.
Tony and Thomas Vickers run The Old York Tea Room on Goodramgate, and said the honour was a huge boost after a “roller coaster” year.
They were named Best Café in the YorkMix Choice Awards 2024.
The award was the result of a public vote. And that was particularly important to Tony and Thomas after a year of hardship, involving conflicts with the council and family illnesses.
“I’m feeling so emotional, this is fantastic, couldn’t be better!” Tony told YorkMix.
“I literally cried on the stage, it’s been a roller coaster this last year and it actually means a lot to us.”
In September, The Old York Tea Room lost its appeal for retrospective planning permission to keep their signage on the front of their cafe.
The nine-month battle was centred on the hand-painted sign complete with a teapot.
A member of the public complained to the City of York Council that the sign was inappropriate for the historic 1316 building.
Customers rallied round the tearoom in the dispute, but the ultimate refusal of planning permission means their beloved sign will need to go.
Thomas said that the award was the reminder that they needed that the city is behind them.
“It means a lot just to actually prove that York is behind us, regardless of our sign, if we have the sign or we lose the battle, the people of York are behind us.
“Like I’ve said on stage, it’s our second home. So when you come into our tea room, you come into our second home, and you have to feel comfortable, and that is the main thing for us.”
Tony added: “The outside of the building is going to change very very soon, but what happens inside is going to remain exactly the same.”
What meant so much to the pair was the fact their victory was down to local votes.
“It feels extra special because people vote for us, people support our business. Because, let’s be honest, you could bake and sell the best things in the world, but if you don’t have the support of your local people, then it would go nowhere, to be honest,” Thomas told YorkMix.
Thursday, the day of the awards, was the first time the tea room reopened following the death of Thomas’s father. Their welcome back from customers meant the world to them.
“We had the most amazing queue outside our tea room, and it was all local people,” Thomas said.
“We’ve been closed for a few weeks, because I’ve recently lost my father and today was the first day we reopened. Seeing the queue of regulars, it means the world to us.”
Attendees from across the city dazzled in their fineries at the Milner York Hotel for the YorkMix Choice Awards, which recognise the best York has to offer.
Tens of thousands of votes were cast in the 18 categories.