A customer with coeliac disease was left emotional after being served a fully gluten-free Sunday roast, complete with a Yorkshire pudding, at Twelve Sixty Cafe Bar in Hoylake.
Emotional reaction
Owner Paul O'Donnell, 57, originally from Wavertree and now living in Wallasey, said: "She was emotional. She was in tears at the end of it. She told us she hadn't been able to enjoy a proper roast dinner with a Yorkshire pudding for years. Seeing that reaction was incredible."
Gluten-free menu expansion
O'Donnell said it wasn't an isolated case, with diners also delighted to find they could enjoy gluten-free fish and chips – another meal many people with the autoimmune condition often miss out on.
He added: "It was a great feeling to give customers that satisfaction simply through eating a meal. That's when we realised we should build on it and make it one of the things we're known for."
The restaurant's extensive gluten-free menu wasn't part of the original business plan. Head chef Pat Rice, 66, from Woodchurch, had already been using gluten-free flour in many of his dishes. Once the team saw customers loved the food without noticing any difference in taste, they decided to make it a key part of the menu.
O'Donnell said: "When we realised people loved the food and that we could cater for coeliacs without compromising on taste, it became a no-brainer. The food tastes exactly as it should, and people are still raving about it."
Menu and reputation
Today, almost every dish on the menu is either naturally gluten-free or can be adapted. Rice, who has more than 50 years' experience and has worked alongside legendary chef Marco Pierre White, has created a menu featuring classic British favourites alongside modern dishes.
The restaurant and bar, which opened less than a year ago and has a sister site in Liscard, has built its reputation largely through word of mouth. O'Donnell, who had no previous experience in the hospitality industry, decided to open Twelve Sixty after coming into some money and wanting to create somewhere in Hoylake that "people would return to".
He said: "It was slow to get going, which we expected. But now Sunday lunches sell out almost every week and we're getting busier through the week too."
Sunday lunches have become one of the restaurant's biggest draws, with diners able to choose from roast beef, chicken, lamb, ham or a vegetarian roast, all served with the traditional accompaniments.
Twelve Sixty is at 2 Market Street, Hoylake, Wirral, CH47 2HE.
