Otley Snack Bar is one of the most popular cafes across West Yorkshire, serving traditional food in a very nice atmosphere. After 21 years under the ownership of Di Kerr and Debbie Lamb, it is now up for sale. Two ladies in their 60s are retiring and are leaving behind a legacy of reasonably priced homey meals for the community.

Di Kerr and Debbie Lamb have run Otley Snack Bar for 21 years. This popular café, in the Yorkshire market town of Otley, has had the same building occupied with a café running continuously since 1937. Now they are putting it up for sale as they look forward to retirement.

It is reminiscent of those quaint settings of the TV show “Last of the Summer Wine.” It boasts of serving “proper food to proper people at proper prices,” a tradition that its owners have kept for many years. With the onset of coffee chain stores and other modern food houses, Otley Snack Bar remained profitable because it refused to adopt the new trends.

The menu at Otley Snack Bar includes Bovril, Spam, and scampi—immediate eating from a bygone era. The fare is cheap, which over the years has established the business and created an older clientele. As proudly put by Mrs. Kerr, “You have got your lattes and your yuppie bars and all this carry-on. But at the end of the day, proper people want proper food at proper prices made by proper people. That’s why it’s survived all these years.”

Their funny, sometimes politically incorrect slogans decorate the cafés and are part of the reason, say regulars to this place. Di Kerr had worked at the café for over a decade when she and Debbie Lamb took it over. The prices are kept low and it remains one of Otley’s cheapest places to eat.

Mrs. Lamb said the café was in a “time warp,” not unlike the setting of “Last of the Summer Wine.” Social media was filled with nostalgia when people heard about their retirement. People from the area have given vent to fond memories and gratitude for the café. It is hoped that, although Di and Debbie are leaving, a buyer will come along who will carry on that tradition. They believe the café is the oldest in town and wish that it will go on serving both old and young alike, as a special spot.

The café has also had a significant role in the community where it served as the venue for raising £42,000 for the Charity Yorkshire Air Ambulance. There are so many lonely people in the world who never have a chance to speak to anybody. We have been glad to make good friends with a lot of them.” One regular customer, Wendy, who has been going for eight years, says it is special because “the characters” who go there and Di and Debbie’s warm atmosphere.

They are just like family in a way,” added Mrs. Lamb. She and Mrs. Kerr plan to keep the business open until they find the right buyer but hope the new owner will enjoy the café as much as they have. “I just wish whoever gets it has as much fun as we’ve had,” says Mrs. Kerr. They also hope that the new owner will continue this legacy of warmth toward the visits of older and younger people alike, hence upholding the inclusive spirit of the café.

Di and Debbie now plan for their retirement, and Otley’s community shall miss their beloved café. The Otley Snack Bar has been more than just a place to eat; it has been a place where friends gather and meet, a second home for many others, and one of those places that set roots in this town. The search for a new owner brings the end of an era but is also the beginning of a new chapter for this treasured cafe.