Smiles all around as Joey's Waffle House in Bishop Auckland reopens

Sisters Kelly Lawson, 44, and Victoria Benton, 37, are excited to welcome customers into their store Joey’s Waffle House, on Tindale Crescent in Bishop Auckland, as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

The shop, originally owned by Steph and Kirsty Lowther, initially opened in April 2019 and closed in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines, and the couple have since moved onto a new venture, now owning The King’s Head pub in Cockfield.

The couple named the store after their son Joey, and the name will be carried on by the new owners, as Mrs Lawson also has a son named Joseph.

The shop will be serving Easter treats, including cheesecake Easter eggs, chocolate orange cake, a variety of cheesecakes, and special milkshakes.

The sisters will not only sells desserts, but also offers savoury items, including paninis, jacket potatoes, and burgers.

Mrs Lawson said that she is both excited and nervous about the store’s reopening.

She said: “I can’t wait for it to be open and to be serving customers, I’ve been prepping cakes and I’m really hopeful and looking forward to the future- I think we can make a really good go of it.

“In a couple of weeks, restrictions are going to be lifted and people will want to be out with family and friends spending time together and having treats, especially people with children.

“I’ve got children myself, and you tend to feel like they’ve missed out on so much this last year, and our food is something that everybody can enjoy.”

The service will be collection and take out only, and the store owners will be considering delivery as an option in the future.

From left, cream and strawberry cheesecake with chocolate flakes, and right, chocolate orange donuts, both made lovingly by co-owner Kelly Lawson

Face masks will need to be worn by all entering the shop, and two people will be allowed to access the shop at a time.

She added: “Opening a store like this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time, but the opportunities never arose to be able to do it.

“We saw that the previous owners Steph and Kirsty had it up for sale, and my sister agreed that she wanted to go into the same business as me.

“We just said let’s do it then, because if we don’t do it now we’ll always wonder ‘what if’.

“I love cooking in general, and this is a huge hobby of mine that has turned into my job.”

As the summer is now in sight, the owners are excited to be serving up a variety of adventurous and fun ice cream flavours, including biscoff, bubblegum, and toffee fudge, as well as slushes and cool milkshakes.

Mrs Lawson said: “Hopefully the summer will bring in a lot of customers, and once restrictions are lifted, people will be able to sit in and enjoy all we have to offer.

“We’d just like to thank the previous owners Steph and Kirsty for their help and support to get us up and running and ready to open.”

To find out more and keep up to date with the menu options, follow Joey’s Waffle House on Facebook, or click here to visit the shops website.