Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate facts for kids
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Bettys Cafe Tearoom, Harrogate
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| Private | |
| Industry | |
| Founded | Bettys and Taylors Group Ltd: 1962 Bettys: 1919 Taylors of Harrogate: 1886 |
| Founder | Charles Taylor (Taylors of Harrogate) Frederick Belmont (Bettys) |
| Headquarters |
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England
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Key people
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Clare Morrow (Chair of the Board) Andy Brown (Chair of the Collaborative CEO) |
| Products | Yorkshire Tea Taylors Coffee Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms Other products |
| Revenue |  £260.6 million (2022) |
 £10.3 million (2022) |
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| Total assets | £138,743 million |
| Owner | Fredrick Belmont's family (fourth generation) |
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Number of employees
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1,607 (2022) |
| Subsidiaries | Bettys Taylors of Harrogate Bettys Tea Rooms |
Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate is a family company from Yorkshire, England. They are famous for their tea rooms and delicious tea and coffee. Bettys tea rooms serve traditional meals. These meals have a mix of Swiss and Yorkshire influences.
Taylors of Harrogate started in 1886. They were known for blending Yorkshire Tea and coffee. Bettys bought Taylors in 1962. This brought the two family businesses together. Today, the company's chairman is Clare Morrow.
The company's brands include Yorkshire Tea and Taylors Coffee. They also run Bettys Tea Rooms and Bettys Cookery School. Bettys Confectionery makes tasty sweets and baked goods.
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Discovering Bettys and Taylors' Story
How Bettys Began
The very first Bettys tea room opened in Harrogate in 1919. It was started by Frederick Belmont. He was a baker from Switzerland.
Frederick arrived in England at King's Cross station. He then got on a train to Bradford. He didn't speak much English. He couldn't remember the address he was going to! In 1922, Frederick opened a bakery in Harrogate. This helped him open more tea rooms. New branches opened in Bradford, Leeds, and York. The York branch, which is the biggest, opened in 1937.
The Mystery of the Bettys Name
No one knows for sure how Bettys got its name. The company's website shares a few ideas:
- It might be named after Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She became famous after 1923.
- Another idea is Betty Lupton. She used to manage the Harrogate Spa.
- It could also be the daughter of a past owner of the Harrogate building. She sadly died young.
- A final idea is a small child named Betty. She interrupted a meeting where they were choosing the name.
Joining Forces: Bettys and Taylors
Bettys joined with Taylors of Harrogate in 1962. Taylors was an older family business. It had started in 1886. This merger created the company we know today.
In 1986, Bettys by Post started. This allowed people to order products by mail. Later, it became an online shop. In 2001, Bettys opened a cookery school. It is next to their main bakery near Harrogate.
Bettys celebrated its 90th birthday in 2009. They served special afternoon teas. The waitresses even wore old-fashioned costumes!
Exploring Bettys Tea Rooms
There are five Bettys tea rooms. Each one has a shop and a café. You can find them in these places:
- Bettys Harrogate – Parliament Street, Harrogate (opened 1976)
- Bettys York – St Helen's Square, York (opened 1937)
- Bettys Northallerton – High Street, Northallerton (opened 1971)
- Bettys Ilkley – The Grove, Ilkley (opened 1964)
- Bettys Harlow Carr – RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate (opened 2004)
The Famous York Tea Room
The York café on St Helen's Square is very special. Its design was inspired by the RMS Queen Mary cruise ship. During World War II, it was very popular. Many American and Canadian "Bomber Boys" visited it. They were soldiers stationed near York.
There is a special mirror there called 'Bettys Mirror'. Many soldiers wrote their names on it with a diamond pen. You can still see their signatures today!
A Look Back at Other Locations
From 1930 to 1974, there was a Bettys tea room in Commercial Street, Leeds. Another one was in Bradford, on Darley Street. It opened in 1922 and also closed in 1974.
In 2021, the Bettys Stonegate café closed. However, the shop there is still open. This branch started in 1965. Taylors of Harrogate ran it first. Then it became a Bettys in 1999, known as Little Bettys. In 2011, it was renamed Bettys Stonegate.
Bettys has often been asked to open branches outside Yorkshire. But they have always said no. They believe keeping the company smaller helps them pay attention to every detail.
See also
- List of tea houses
