Restaurant owner 'constantly getting cancellations' due to major issue in Birmingham

Digbeth’s newest restaurant owners have admitted the trendy area is ‘moving in the right direction’. However, the owners also addressed concerns which made this past year ‘more of a challenge’.

Set up by co-owners Will Power and Dee Dixon, Cafe Lovelife is a Mediterranean restaurant which fuses brunch and tapas together in colourful surroundings. The halal restaurant was originally planned to be in the Floodgate Arches, the future home of Boxpark.

Now located on nearby Floodgate Street, Lovelife co-owner Will spoke to BirminghamLive about the reality of running a restaurant for the first time. The venue recently celebrated it's first anniversary, and although Digbeth is starting to gain more footfall, Will addressed the challenges of transport and location.

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He said: “It’s been more of a challenge than we anticipated. Even though we know the area (Digbeth), it’s an evolving area. The roadworks and traffic bring ongoing challenges. Realistically, there are two ways to get in and out of Digbeth.

“We constantly get cancellations and delays every week with people calling in over issues related to transport. That is always going to be an ongoing challenge for Digbeth businesses.

“Hopefully with the BBC moving to the area, and new offices moving in, that gives us a lot of promise. It feels like Digbeth is moving in the right direction and we are starting to see more people. There’s definitely optimism. It’s starting to feel like more people are around the area.”

Previously the home of Wine Freedom, Lovelife incorporates the building’s past, using empty bottles of wine as decor. Wine Freedom retains a relationship with the venue, serving as the wine supplier.

Our restaurant writer Kirsty Bosley reviewed the cafe last December and was ‘taken aback’ by just how ‘utterly beautiful’ it was. With pink seats, menus and drinks, Lovelife invites you in with an aesthetically pleasing charm.

Even the arches are pink, a tribute to Digbeth’s famous railway arches. General manager Gregorio Cunsolo likened Lovelife’s design to a portal.

“We wanted to create a beautiful space where people wanted to go. It’s almost like a portal that you walk into,” he said.

Serving both brunch and tapas at different times throughout the day, dishes vary from Mediterranean breakfasts to wagyu meatballs and patatas bravas. Drink offerings include a variety of cocktails, coffees and juices.

After celebrating the restaurant's birthday, Will now says he is looking forward to the future. Despite the challenges, Lovelife is growing stronger and marked its busiest week this month.

“We’ve enjoyed every minute of it and it has been a new challenge for us. Part of that is what we enjoy, to bring a new offering to the city,” he said.

“We’ve now got a year under our belt and from when we started to now, it’s been a massive step forward. Last weekend was a great way to celebrate the birthday and it was our busiest week so far.”

With Will and Dee co-owning popular nightclub Lab11, it is only appropriate that Lovelife features resident DJ’s on the weekends. As the hours went by, DJ Kiddo treated hungry customers to a live set, blending good food with good music.

He said: “Lovelife is all about balance. The music has to be right for the time of night, the drinks have to be the right temperature and the food has to come out at the right time.

“It’s all about working together and creating chemistry rather than one particular item standing out. Week by week, the chemistry gets stronger and that’s all we can ask for.”