Café

The café

Outline

The servery contains two fridges, a freezer, a large chiller cabinet, microwave and a really posh coffee machine. The fridges need frequent cleaning because although nothing is kept there they still get smelly. The freezer should be defrosted a couple of times a year, it’s really only useful for the fringe so might end up being disconnected through the year. The Chiller should be cleaned out at every work in and the person running the café should make sure to open the doors and switch it off every night.

A panic alarm was installed into the café under the till in 1997. It connects to the panic alarm in the box office. The alarm sits underneath the till (the little grey box that has a red light on the front)

To activate, push the button underneath/on the bottom of the box and the red light should turn on. If the light turns on, on its own and a buzzing noise is heard then the person in the box office is panicking (you might want to send some spare people out to help them)

The coffee machine is great in that it makes good coffee but the coffee is a lot more expensive than the instant we used to use and so it’s use should get closely monitored by the FoH Manager.

Responsibilities

The Cafe is the responsibility of the Front of House Manager.

The cast of each show is required to clean the cafe as a component of their maintenance session.

The chiller should be cleaned out at every maintenance and turned off at the end of each night.

The fridges need cleaning regularly because otherwise they start to smell and it will shorten their lifespan.

The freezer should be defrosted a couple of times a year

Regulations

No construction should occur in the cafe as it is both unhygienic and may damage it.

Painting is permissible (the cafe is one of the cleaner areas of the building) provided that paper is put down to protect the furniture and floor

The furniture should not be used on stage (The Production Guidelines state that Cafe Furniture must not be used on stage) because it may get damaged and can’t be used in the café if it’s on stage.

There must always be a fire escape measuring at least 1.2m wide between the doors.

If people want to put up banners make sure they are sensibly flame proofed.

History

The Café is not soundproofed from the auditorium and sound levels need to be strictly controlled whenever a show is on. The price of soundproofing has been looked into but it was decided that it was far too high (2k-4k). An attempt was made on our own in fringe 2004.

The café grills were installed in 1991 by G Sutherland Blacksmiths and they don’t make the café secure more to be a bit of a deterrent and stop company members helping themselves.

Some of the walls in the café are held up by the skirting board which is held on with gaffa tape so don’t remove it unless you’re planning on rebuilding the walls. This is quite a big job and needs to be well planned.

The floor was last sanded and re-varnished for fringe 2001 as were the tables in 2004. The stools were repainted and reupholstered in 2003 New stools were bought fringe 2004 but will probably all have been destroyed as they were cheap.

If you want to clean the floor properly, then we will need to hire in a floor buffer.

Random Blurb

"The café is 18ft by 16ft and has substantial space for publicity. The walls are covered with posters of previous shows, dating back to the 80s, when EUTC first took over the building. Drinks, meals and snacks are sold all day during the Festival, at prices significantly below the Fringe norm. We also have the opportunity to use the café as an exhibition space for local artists. The café is consistently busy, successful and ever so slightly boho acting as a focal point and meeting place for both performers and audiences."

Source: Bedlam Fringe Prospectus

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