Craig Morris and Ste Taylor, friends since childhood, have opened Calm Ya Baps, a traditional café on Rumford Street in Liverpool city centre, with the goal of providing affordable breakfast and lunch without overcharging customers.
Friendship becomes business
The 45-year-old friends from Crosby have known each other since school, staying close through college and into adulthood. Their shared aim was simple: create a proper “Scouse café” where people could enjoy good food at fair prices.
The idea came together quickly after Ste was approached about opening a café in a building owned by someone he worked with. When he asked Craig to join him, Craig agreed, and the pair moved from conversation to reality in less than two months. They discussed the idea in December, spent January preparing the premises, and opened Calm Ya Baps in February.
Traditional approach
The café deliberately keeps things traditional, building on the fact that the premises had already operated as a café. Craig handled much of the building work, while Ste helped with painting, cleaning, and getting the space ready for customers. Rather than creating a polished, Instagram-focused venue, they wanted Calm Ya Baps to feel like an old-school café that tradesmen and local workers would naturally gravitate towards.
Being in the city centre does not necessarily mean being easy to find, with the café somewhat hidden away from the busier Water Street and Chapel Street. Craig said the business has had to work harder to attract attention and has relied heavily on nearby offices and passing workers. Even opening on Saturdays for football matches initially proved difficult because many potential customers did not realise the café was there.
Affordable menu
The menu and atmosphere are all about keeping things affordable and familiar, with fry-ups, breakfast staples, butties, and everyday favourites such as tiger bread. Craig said the café is intentionally different from more expensive city-centre venues, where customers can end up paying £8 for a tea or coffee.
For him, Calm Ya Baps succeeds because it offers something simple: a genuine “proper Scouse café” where people can eat good food, relax, and feel like they have discovered a hidden local gem.
