Vision Park coffee and sandwich bar, d:licious, is celebrating its 14th birthday. Amanda Borrill talks to owner Musa Nafi about their dream, the nightmare of COVID and how the support of a community has kept them strong.
It all began with a vision – a desire for a business that would fit comfortably around family life.
Rewind to March 2011 and founder of long-established Vision Park sandwich shop, Nadia’s, was preparing to retire. An opportunity to buy this popular and well frequented lunch stop, situated amidst an abundance of thriving businesses here in the heart of Histon & Impington, was too good to miss and, most importantly, its Monday to Friday opening hours fitted perfectly with husband and wife team Musa and Louise Nafi’s dream; a family focused business which would allow them to achieve a happy work-life balance as parents to three young daughters.
A weekend of redecorating, new menus and the introduction of customer seating followed – and brand new coffee & sandwich bar d:licious was launched to a hungry public.
Loyalty and friendship
I asked Musa what he enjoys the most about life as a business on the Vision Park. “The shop has been great for us”, he tells me. “We have always been fortunate to have an amazing team behind us, it has fit in well with our lifestyle and we have made some genuine friendships with customers over the years. Plus”, he smiles, “very many are repeat, loyal customers. We know them by name, know all about their families, and even where and when they are off on their holidays!
“We see familiar faces from nearby offices but we also see lots of lovely village locals who come and visit for a coffee and cake treat”.
Five years ago, however, things were considerably less rosy. The COVID pandemic and its enforced lockdowns left this family business teetering on the edge. Being a business located amidst a collection of, now mostly empty, office buildings could have ended its relatively short life there and then but, against all the odds, d:licious survived. So, how did they do it?
“COVID was tough”, says Musa. “Things were going so well up to that point, we were getting busier and busier, the team had been settled for about five years and then, boom, overnight everything fell off a cliff. That first lockdown in March 2020 saw us forced to close for three months. When we returned, the working landscape had changed beyond recognition”.
Thinking outside the lunch box
The business was forced to reconsider its entire existence. The menu was increased with things like pizza and waffles added, trials with food delivery partners like Just Eat and Deliveroo were experimented with and, once gatherings were allowed again, outdoor pizza nights were hosted. Their delightful outdoor area would, in fact, prove to be a huge asset as social distancing, along with government incentives such as ‘eat out to help out’, came and went over the months ahead.
Reflecting on that time, Musa tells me, “the biggest help for us all was, without doubt, the support of the local community. Even though the cafe had been here on the Vision Park since 1991, there were still many villagers unaware of d:licious or where we were located. We worked hard to change that and, through village social media and leafleting, managed to stay afloat during a period that saw around 95% of our previous customer base taken away from us”. And there is no doubt that very many of us were immensely grateful for that opportunity to sit on their decking or collect a take-away coffee during our daily walks; a welcome reminder of a life we were all missing through those pandemic days.
The care of a community
So, how are things now for this family café “Things are better than they were,” says Musa, “but still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. We dug in, diversified, realised we couldn’t get by with just Vision Park office trade and made a conscious effort to reach out to residents in the village. Fortunately they responded and helped see us through. Had we not had such support I’m not sure we would still be here”.
And that local support has seen a real swing in the d:licious customer base. “Where office staff would have once made up 90-95% of our customer base”, explains Musa “it’s probably now more like a 50/50 split between Vision Park custom and locals who stop by and continue to support us. We are lucky to own a lovely outdoor area. The decking has just recently all been relaid with the addition of new and extra benches. it really is a great spot to relax, particularly in the kinder weather.”
With 14 years behind them, what delights lay ahead for d:licious? Can the community look forward to more sundowner events on the decking? “We’ll always run at least one pizza night during the summer. I’ll have to as everyone always keep asking when the next one is”, laughs Musa. “Weather permitting we will try and run a couple extra this year. It’s difficult to make too many plans. Post COVID my confidence around making concrete plans was knocked somewhat and now we prefer to make sure plans are flexible enough to adapt to situations as they arise”.
Triumph through adversity
Besides mentioning the very warm welcome that always awaits a visit to this family-run café, a feature like this wouldn’t be complete without talking food! Personally, they had me at carrot cake, but I couldn’t resist asking Musa what sits atop the d:licious lunchtime league? “Our most popular panini”, says Musa, “has to be ‘The Feast’. This is one we introduced many years ago, before COVID, where we donated 10% of sales to the Histon Feast. Customers kept asking for it after it was discontinued so we’ve since made it a permanent fixture to our menu! It consists of chicken tikka, mixed in yoghurt and mint dressing with mozzarella, onions and jalapeños, toasted in a crisp panini.
“In terms of cakes, the carrot cake has always been a good seller”, he smiles, “but top sellers remain the oat & almond tart and millionaire’s shortbread”.
There is no question that 14 years of this family-run cafe here in Histon & Impington deserves commemorating and their resilience through adversity reflects the strength of the entire d:licious team. And, from Musa to the community of H&I he has this message: “A massive thank you from us all. Thank you for the last 14 years and, in particular, the last 5! You’ll never truly know how much your custom meant.
“And, to those of you who haven’t tried us out yet, please do. New faces are always welcome and we can’t wait to meet you”.
Find out more about d:licious by visiting their website. You can also follow all their latest news on Facebook.
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