THE OWNER of a tearoom in Worcester city centre has spoken about the reality behind the hospitality industry as she prepares to hand the reins to someone new.
Sam Ellis and her son Macoi have announced their intention to leave Tipsy Teacup, Friar Street, almost two years after first opening.
While the business is in a good place, the pair no longer have the love for the industry and are looking to find an experienced head to take over.
After opening in October 2024, Tipsy Teacup has been through some incredible moments.
Mrs Ellis said: “Hitting number one of TripAdvisor was enormous for us.
“I think the praise we have got has been what’s kept me going – it’s very flattering and it really spurred us on.
“I also love hosting the parties; if I could be a host and not do everything else, I would probably want to carry on.
“I’ve also made relationships and friendships with customers, which I did not envisage beforehand having never worked in hospitality.
“But we have had some thunderously low moments as well.”
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To celebrate one year of being opening Mrs Ellis and her family went on holiday to Cornwall.
But their stress-free getaway quickly turned when they found out Tipsy Teacup had been burgled.
Mrs Ellis said: “We had only booked four days away. We got half-an-hour from our destination when we were told that we had been broken into.
“What was really hard was that it was targeted. They targeted all the alcohol, and we were only stocked with that alcohol because we were about to do our first evening event.
“A lot of work had going into preparing that before we went on holiday, and it really set us back.”
The business was also badly affected by some more recent challenges, including this summer’s heatwaves, which Mrs Ellis described as their ‘toughest challenge’.
Like many businesses in the city centre, the unbearable temperatures forced the tearoom to close several times over the summer.
She said: “We had another business which was giving us some supplemental income and some breathing space to get our next project off the ground.
“But the other business has basically been subsidising what we have lost during the heatwave.”
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With the dream of owning Tipsy Teacup and making it into something special fulfilled, both Sam and Macoi are looking towards pastures new.
Mrs Ellis said: “There are a couple of areas I want to go into which I won’t give details about, but it is something I have always wanted to do, and Macoi has got the entrepreneurial bug now, so he has his side hustle going.
“Hospitality itself is so consuming. There is not room for anything else if you are in hospitality.
“I had a meeting with another business in Worcester the other day, who said he is doing 60 to 70 hour weeks, barely seeing his family.
“We do not want that life.”
