LARGE crowds of peopled descended on The Hart of Hartford café bar on its reopening night.

Formerly known as Relish, the bar on School Lane has undergone an extensive refurbishment and rebranding after being taken over by new owners.

As well as a fresh new name and menu, The Hart has gone for a more natural look by using handmade wooden furniture and plants.

And the changes have gone down well with customers, who heaped praise on the bar when speaking to the owners on reopening night.

Northwich Guardian:

New owners Lowri and Paul Taylor, Pete Naylor and Peter Ogden

“Our first night was absolutely brilliant, and because of the huge number of people who came down, we had quite a rush on at times,” said co-owner Pete Naylor.

“We received some good compliments about the coffee that we source from Chester as well as the other products that we buy from local suppliers.

“The reopening went so well that we are looking to stay open for later on certain days as there definitely seems to be a demand for it.

“We had three or four times as many people than we would have had at Relish in the weeks before the rebrand, so it was definitely a success.”

Northwich Guardian:

Despite only being closed for five days, the changes to the bar are clear to see, and this struck a chord with customers who commented on how different the place looked.

“When we spoke to customers, they said that they were overwhelmed by the changes but in a good way, as it is completely different to what it was before,” Pete continued.

“They just could not believe the changes we had made in such a short period of time and said that they make the place look a lot bigger.”

Northwich Guardian:

A post on The Hart of Hartford’s Facebook page added: “We finished scrubbing the floor and painting the walls literally minutes before we opened the doors, and we haven’t stopped since.

“Thank you so much for coming along and giving us a chance this weekend. We are thrilled so many of you stopped by.

“We know we have some work to do to smooth out the edges and we are grateful to those of you who patiently waited for food during our busiest times.

“But overall, we are thrilled and would like to thank everyone for your kind words and support.”