Safeway's new restaurant concept ­ Café Fresco ­ has exceeded the chain's low expectations of picking up a trade in evening dining. David Jeanes, commercial manager for prepared foods and deli, said the concept, which opened in High Wycombe and Woking, was doing better than expected in the evenings, although Safeway hadn't thought it would do that well later in the day. "To expect consumers to make that step change in terms of what was a supermarket coffee shop, into a proper restaurant is asking a lot of them. It will take time to build." He said the café in High Wycombe was especially busy on Monday night as there was nothing much else open. "It's helped to build business through the rest of the week." Jeanes said that although it could stay open until 11pm, it was quiet after 9pm and closed by 10pm. "We're looking to get people in through events such as live music and promotional activities." He added that local by-laws forced both the Woking cafe and store to shut at 8pm which meant trade was fairly busy all through the day. The Café Fresco format replaces traditional coffee shops and lets consumers choose food cooked to order. It includes a pizza oven, fresh coffee and is licensed. {{NEWS }}

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