Popular Chalkwell café opens second branch in Rayleigh

Owners Jo and Scott Grant first opened their café, Surf, on Chalkwell Esplanade, back in 2018.

It was a completely new venture for Jo and Scott, but they wanted to seize the opportunity when it arose.

After significant growth over the last six years, a second branch has now been opened at 347 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh.

New - Surf opens up in Rayleigh (Image: Jo Grant)

Jo said: "We are a family run business, and this was a completely new venture for us.

"It was something we had never really imagined doing but the opportunity arose so we took it.

"It was tough to start with as we had Covid to contend with but during that time we focused on the takeaway side of the business from our kiosk, which has remained popular even with the inside seating.

"Over the years we have really enjoyed getting to know our customers and have many regulars.

"We were enjoying running Chalkwell Surf and seeing how it has evolved over the last six years but having grown up in Rayleigh, we were keen to bring Surf to Rayleigh too.

Inside - Surf opens up in Rayleigh (Image: Jo Grant)

"We are really lucky to have a great team working with us and that helped us branch out and expand the business."

The café is known for its coffees, teas, smoothies, and milkshakes, as well as their breakfasts and brunches.

Jo added: "We have seating inside and outside, and food can be eaten in or taken away.

"It has been lovely to have the support so far of some of the residents in the area and the other businesses that are part of Eastwood House.

"We have also had some of our regulars from Chalkwell coming to see us in Rayleigh which we really appreciated.

"We are looking forward to getting to know more of Rayleigh’s community."

The current opening hours are from 9am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. The management is hoping to open their doors also on Sundays in the near future.