'Tell me, how do I make money Rachel Reeves?'

Rob Ely said things will still be tight for his hospitality business after the Budget.

Once a chancellor has delivered their Budget speech in Parliament, it is usual they visit somewhere for a photo opportunity and pitch policies to the country.

Rachel Reeves chose a London hospital to highlight her commitment to the NHS.

But she would have been very welcome in Braintree, Essex, at Toast – an East Anglian coffee chain that sources many of its ingredients locally.

Whether she would have enjoyed hearing the thoughts of owner Rob Ely is a different matter.

"It feels like the government are literally taxing us on everything they possibly can," he said.

Mr Ely is reeling from what he feels is another blow for his business, after a recent rise in national insurance payments and pension contributions.

"I would absolutely welcome Rachel Reeves - come to my business. I will give you an open book. You tell me how I make money?"

'8% is a big increase'

The owner of Essex coffee chain Toast does not feel his bread has been buttered by the Budget.

Mr Ely has six coffee shops. When we meet in person, nearly every table in his Colchester store is full at lunchtime and there is a steady stream of customers coming in for their takeaway brews.

He wants a profit margin of 10% but says increased taxes, costs and wages mean it is not achievable, leaving him frustrated.

The minimum wage will increase by 4.1% to £12.71 an hour from April - slightly higher than the current inflation rate of 3.6% - and 8.5% for 18-20 year-olds to £10.85 .

"It's fantastic for all of those people that are going to get more money in their pocket, he said.

"I heard the Chief Secretary [to the Treasury] said it is a slight increase. That is not a slight increase, it is a big increase. It is going to cost me £70-£80,000 a year," Mr Ely claimed.

Prices at Toast almost certainly will have to go up, but he said there is a limit to how much people will hand over for a cup of coffee.

'Genuinely more positive'

Matt Kimber who runs a metal works firm is happier with the Budget than he was expecting.

Matt Kimber is standing on his bustling Basildon factory floor.

"I'm genuinely more positive than I was" he said after the Budget

Mr Kimber is managing director of family-run metal works company GK Engineering.

It makes steel structures like staircases for NHS hospitals and new apartment blocks. The firm employs 50 people and has a £9m turnover.

"We've seen some good things about public spending in our sector. There's some good things about apprenticeships. We are not overly impacted by minimum wage. They are a skilled workforce so we are above minimum wage," the 36 year-old boss said.

But Mr Kimber feels there is still "some uncertainty" as a lot of the measures announced won't start for a couple of years.

Darren Sharp does not feel the Budget has improved his finances.

Darren Sharp is one of the welders at GK Engineering and he feels in the past five years things have got financially tighter.

The Chancellor said "cutting the cost of living" was one of her three priorities in the Budget - along with cutting NHS waiting times and the cost of debt.

But after this Budget, Mr Sharp said: "For me personally, it's not going have that much of an effect.

"I don't think they have been spending money in the right places. I would like to see them spend more on defence with threats from Russia and China."

He has older children so will not be affected by the two-child benefit cap being scrapped but the 54 year-old welcomed the freezing of prescription charges.

'Less of a drag'

The future of LGBQ+ bar, the Dragonfly Lounge, is in a better position after the Budget the owner says.

The owner of the Dragonfly Lounge in Colchester, an LGBTQ+ bar and community space, was uncertain of its future pre-Budget.

Jo Palmer-Tweed said Rachel Reeves' second Budget was "a mixed bag".

"I'm very pleased about the business rates decision for hospitality because that is potentially quite a big cut. That was very pleasing," she said.

The Chancellor announced that there will be permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses from next year in properties with an annual rental value less than £500,000.

The Dragonfly Lounge opened earlier this year and its property hasn't been valued yet but Ms Palmer-Tweed is hopeful it will lead to a reduction.

Jo Palmer-Tweed says the Budget has been good for them in the short term.

She said they will be "impacted" by the rise in national living wage and the freezing of the income tax thresholds.

"The income tax hikes are going to impact different parts of our customer base.

"Overall for us in the shorter term [the Budget] has been good for us. But in the longer term it's going to really depend in how it shakes out in terms of customer spending," the owner of the Dragonfly Lounge said.

Before the Budget, Ms Palmer-Tweed, also known as Mamma Dragonfly, was worried whether they would survive next year as a safe space for the LGBQ+ community in Colchester to go out at night. After the Budget she is more confident."

"It improves our chances in the longer term. I think it is a really good start for Rachel Reeves but I think we could do more".

So a photo opportunity at the Dragonfly Lounge for the Chancellor might find some raising their glasses to her. But if growth drags, taxes bite into disposable incomes and customers sashay away from the night time economy Rachel Reeves may face a tough crowd here.