Not much to look at from the outside, but don’t let that fool you. Big Al’s Cafe is by far the City’s best eatery, loved by businessmen, lawyers, bankers and tourists alike – good luck finding a seat at lunch time.
– Good Food Guide, 2291
| Name: | Big Al’s Cafe |
| Type: | Cafe / restaurant |
| Owner: | Alfron “Big Al” Preston |
| Opened: | 2269 |
| Closed: | 2305 (36 years) |
Big Al’s Cafe was a greasy spoon, later turned restaurant, situated down Wood Street just off Cheapside in the City of London. It was opened in 2269 under the name Al’s Cafe by Alfron Preston who went on to become known as Big Al, updating the name to Big Al’s Cafe.
The first three to four years of business were slow due to the cafe’s location off the main road, with only a few regulars and the occasional curious passer-by. Around 2272 Alfron started to install Holoscreens and adopted some new-to-the-market drink technology known as infusions. Soon, word got around to the local traders and businessmen that Al’s Cafe was the place to combine a simple lunch with keeping track of portfolios and communications. Professionals could continue working while socialising with colleagues, with space at the back to have more discreet conversations and private meetings with clients.
After appearing in a few local business and finance magazines, Alfron was picked up by several high-profile publications. This helped widen his audience to the general public, tourists and later celebrities. Despite the huge boom in publicity and popularity, Alfron continued to sell the same food at the same low prices.
By 2279 the cafe was becoming a victim of its own success. The popularity amongst tourists had started to drive away his original clientele, the City professionals. As a result, Alfron bought the space next door from the local authority and marketed it as a restaurant exclusive for City workers.
The cafe and restaurant were financially very successful, which was against the trend at the time with many restaurants being forced to close their doors due to lack of business. Commentators now believe Big Al’s Cafe had a great influence on the closure of other eateries in the City by pulling any business there was away from them.
In 2305, early in the morning while at home, Alfron Preston died at the age of 62 from a heart attack. The day of his death was the first time Big Al’s Cafe didn’t open for 36 years.
Many people donated to a funeral fund which saw Alfron carried from his cafe to St Mary-le-Bow church where he was cremated. His ashes were then housed in an urn the shape of a mug and placed at the top of the tallest building in the City to, as the inscription says, “Keeping watch over the City he so loyally served for 36 years”. On the day of the funeral thousands of people from every walk of life lined the streets along the route of his procession.
Alfron had no living family so in his last will he left the business to “the people of the City of London who have been so kind to me over the years”. Lawyers decided this meant it should be given to the local authority. At the time the local authority had too many locations which no one wanted to use so Big Al’s Cafe was boarded up.
A few years after Alfron’s death, another businessman, who was a regular at the cafe before it closed, bought the premises from the local authority and re-opened it as a memorial café and restaurant. Despite an initial success in the first 6 months the Big Al Memorial Cafe closed its doors after 1 year of trading.
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