It is with sadness that I am announcing the closure of Escape the Daily Grind, with the last trading day set to be 17th December. After 4½ years of being part of the Balham community, it has been an incredibly difficult decision to make to close the business. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of my customers who have supported me along this journey. I will genuinely miss the conversations over politics, football and what is happening in and around Balham.

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The challenges of operating in the hospitality and retail sector in recent times have been well documented, but I would like to also use this as an opportunity to urge people to support their local independent businesses. It’s a cliché but you really are supporting someone’s dream. Running a business is hard in ways that you cannot imagine – it requires an in-depth knowledge of so many different areas and permeates into every part of your life. Unfortunately, one of my biggest stresses were the bureaucratic battles with the local council and government departments, which coupled with a significant rent increase meant that I was not always able to focus on delivering the excellent service that I pride myself on.

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One of my concerns is helping my staff find other roles, so please let me know if you know if anyone who is looking for a chef and/or baristas.

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Whilst I do not know exactly what I will be doing next (other than having a very well-deserved rest over Christmas and New Year), I will continue to do street markets so hopefully I will see some of you there.

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Once again, I will miss all of my customers and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.       

World Cup Fever has hit the nation and we'd love England to win the trophy! If they do, to celebrate (and in anticipation of the sore heads out there), we'll be offering free coffees before 10am on Monday when you say 'Football has come home'.

Like the sound of unlimited coffee?! Londonist listed us as one of the top places to work from in London and now we've just got even better!

We're offering *unlimited* drink-in coffee and tea for just £25 per week, Monday - Friday. With Wi-Fi, lots of plug sockets and plenty of tasty brunch options, we're the perfect base to work from!

For one week only, Escape the Daily Grind in Balham will be offering customers a free coffee in exchange for a Nero loyalty coffee card. The independent coffee shop will be offering the deal from the 25th May – 31st May, to encourage people to ditch the chains and support their local high street.

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Keen to encourage customers ‘Shop Local’, Escape the Daily Grind are passionate about expanding customers’ perceptions of high quality coffee. The combination of a great tasting premium coffee, accompanied by a friendly welcome is something customers will not consistently get from the chains, which inspired Richard:

“I have personally been on the journey from instant coffee to the historic bulk brew which would sit for hours, to the expansion of the chains when the coffee quality was variable, to now, where you might get a coffee with a miss-spelled name and mediocre service. At Escape the Daily Grind, we’ve taken coffee to another level. Our coffee is served with a smile, tastes great and not only is it direct trade, but we even know the farmer and the farms the coffee was grown on and where the cows are milked!” 

Known for serving high quality coffee, delicious handmade cakes, freshly baked artisan pastries and lovingly prepared brunch all with top class-service, Escape the Daily Grind were voted ‘Runner Up’ in Time Out’s Love London Awards.

Terms & Conditions apply.

Nero Loyalty Cards with four or more stamps will receive a free coffee. Less than four and we will give you an EDG loyalty card with your total plus five free stamps.

Have you spotted our range of new seasonal drinks?

Choose from our White Chocolate Mocha, Cherry Pie Tea, or Nutella Hot Chocolate, all guaranteed to make you glow and feel warm inside!

We're chuffed to have been listed by the Londonist as one of the top best independent cafés in London to work from! See bit.ly/2cSN5P0
 

So next time there's a tube strike (let's face it, there will be!) or the trains are all delayed/cancelled, pop along and make yourself comfy with us. We have free Wi-Fi, plenty of power sockets, caffeine on demand and plenty of tasty food to keep you going!

We love chocolate, we love our cheesecake. Putting the two together is practically a balanced diet!

Have we tempted you? Indulge yourself with our deliciously decadent Cheesecake Fondue for two, available every weekend.

It's been a busy year, but on Thursday, we celebrate having been open for a year!

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We'd like to take this opportunity to say 'thanks a LATTE' to everyone who has supported the shop. We couldn't have done it without you so we'll be offering all regular coffees for *HALF PRICE* tomorrow, just to say thanks!

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It also goes without saying, a big thank you to our friends and family who have been with us every step of the way. 

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Despite being the newbies on the block, we were chuffed to have come Runner Up in the Time Out Love London Awards and are looking forward to seeing what this year holds!