Leicester arcade cafe to close after 60 years

The cafe's current owners have been running it for more than 40 years

A Leicester cafe is to close down after 60 years in the city.

Cafe Rialto in Malcolm Arcade was started in 1963 and has been run by the Crooks family since 1980.

The owners said they had been hoping to sell the business but uncertainty over the future of the arcade had made this impossible.

As a farewell gift to the community, the takings from the last two days of trading - 11 and 12 August - will be donated to the LOROS charity.

John Crooks, with his wife Becky and brother Bob, took over the cafe when it was struggling.

He said: "We just built it up, sometimes because we had to with changing regulations, but it just got bigger and bigger.

"I'm 71 now and have been thinking about retirement for a while but I do quite enjoy the job.

"But we had been hanging on and hanging on to see what they were going to do to the arcade.

"They are now saying maybe in 2024, but that's another year gone.

"So, with it being 60 years, it seems like a good time to say goodbye."

The arcade's future remains up in the air

The cafe had already reduced its opening hours to just Friday and Saturday.

Malcolm Arcade, in the Lanes area, was allocated £1m of improvement funding in January 2022, but Leicester City Council said it was "still looking at proposals" for the site.

A city council spokesperson said: "We've had several discussions with Mr Crooks and our understanding is that he is ready for a well-earned retirement.

"The Rialto Cafe has been a huge part of Leicester life for many years, and we wish him and his wife Becky all the best.

"We are still looking at proposals for Malcolm Arcade and will be giving an update on them in the near future."