The Biscuit Eater Café in Mahone Bay, NS. Photo The Biscuit Eater/Facebook
The Biscuit Eater Cafe in Mahone Bay is enjoying a recent surge in business thanks to a viral video.
The cafe which is situated in the oldest building in Mahone Bay features cute, homey decor and photogenic towers of brunch delicacies.
“It’s just the perfect little place, we have lots of old tea sets and cozy decor that make it feel like a home, it’s really just the perfect Instagramable little brunch spot.” said business owner Jessica Hepburn.
On Valentines Day, James Goode who runs a TikTok channel that primarily offers coffee tutorials visited The Biscuit Eater and posted a video on TikTok of his experience.
The video has been viewed over 100 thousand times since and Hepburn says its impact was noticed almost immediately.
“We were closed the two days after Valentine’s but after that is when it started, we’ve been so busy with reservations since then.”
She says they now have reservations booked through the end of June.
Before the TikTok video, Hepburn says business was already beginning to pick up but they still weren’t as busy as they would have liked due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She says this year has provided the best first quarter of sales the business has ever had in its five-year history.
“For a while, my partner and I were not even paying ourselves but we wanted to stay open as The Biscuit Eater is an important space for many people,” Hepburn said.
The cafe prides itself on being a safe space for the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, often hosting events to raise money for various initiatives or awareness campaigns.
The cafe’s website says “Our cozy cafe & bookstore is named after a short story about segregation in the American South, our biscuits are part of a long legacy of Black culinary excellence. We value community care & are a refuge + resource for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) and Queer/2SLGBTQ+ communities.”
Hepburn says that they make a point to try and hire those who identify with the BIPOC community and they currently have five black employees.
“With the recent support, we’ve had it just gives us a great outlook for the future and we want to be there for the community and our employees and ensure there are jobs available that offer more than minimum wage.”
The cafe also sells books and with a focus on black authors and local stories.
Reservations can still be made online or by phone and the business operates Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
