Why we won't budge on what matters

First things first: we don’t want to increase our prices. If we didn’t have to, we wouldn’t. It’s our customers that make Boston what it is, and we know that it’s tough out there for lots of people at the moment. Many of the reasons that we’re having to increase our prices, like the cost of food, are affecting individuals too.

We’ve looked at our business as a whole, and where we can, we’ve reduced costs (this doesn’t include reducing team numbers or pay – in fact, we’re increasing our hourly pay). This means we’ve been able to offset some of our cost increases, because it was important to us that we’re not passing it all onto you, our customer.

You’ll also notice that some of our dishes haven’t changed in price – where we can keep the price the same, we have.

Our people

In April, the National Minimum Wage is going up by between 9.8% and 21.2% depending on age. This is a move we 100% support – we’re big believers that everyone should be paid fairly for their work. So, when a change like this happens, we shift all our hourly pay rates roughly in line with the change.

Alongside our pay changes, we also have a range of benefits for our people – you can read a bit more about that below.

This is all the right thing to do, but of course there’s a cost associated with these sort of changes, and that’s one of the reasons behind our small price increase.

How else do we support our teams?

Our teams have access to a range of benefits, including enhanced maternity and paternity leave, access to mental health and wellbeing support and training, and 50% discount at BTP when you’re not working (and of course food and drink on us when you are). Investing in our teams’ development is also really important to us. In 2023, we launched our Aspiring Leaders Programme of workshops, activities and projects created to support and develop team members who want to progress into management roles. As of March 2024, our first cohort has already completed the programme, with the next underway.

In partnership with Extract Coffee Roasters, we run the Boston Barista Academy, developing our Baristas and giving them a chance to learn more about the world of coffee roasting. Last year, we launched our Latte Art Throwdown in Bristol & Bath, giving our superstar baristas the chance to show off their perfect pours. This year, it’ll be the South West and Midlands battling it out – steamers at the ready!

Our food & drink

If you’ve been to BTP a few times, you might know that we only serve free-range meat and eggs, and organic milk. We’re a bit unusual in only using free-range meat, but we know it’s the right thing to do, so it’s not something we’re going to budge on.

You’ll find fresh, proper ingredients in our kitchens – no meals out of a packet here. From our Homemade Hash Browns, made by hand in their thousands, to our Smoothies made fresh to order from fruit and veggies (and nothing else), this is food that makes you feel good.

We know that all the ingredients that go into our food are top-notch, because we only work with suppliers that share our values. Here’s a little intro to some of them.

Packington Free Range

The suppliers of our tasty bangers and lots of our eggs, too. Run by Rob and Alec Mercer, they’re family-run, and have been for over 100 years. Their free-range hens roam naturally across the grass fields at Patshull Estate, Gloucestershire, while their pigs are all born outside, and have well-bedded, cosy tents (and paddocks when they get a bit older), while still being able to run around outside when they fancy it.

Rob and Alec are also making things better in their community. They have a permanent Scout Hut on their land, and this year donated land to charity Kid’s Village, who are creating a holiday village for children with serious illnesses and their families to enjoy, for free.

Hobbs House Bakery

Our bread is all from Hobbs House Bakery, a B Corp based in Bristol who swear by their 68 year old sourdough starter. With bread making know-how like that, you know your breakfast’s in good hands.

They bake and rise our bread overnight, to be devoured daily in our cafes. Their buns, which you’ll find in our burgers, are made with regeneratively farmed flour, which improves biodiversity and reduces impact on the planet.

They share over 200 loaves with local charities each week for those who need it most, as well as supporting several charities to provide things like holiday clubs, food and day trips to those who would otherwise go without.

Extract Coffee Roasters

Our coffee is a House Blend roasted by the great folks at Extract Coffee Roasters. Not only do they produce top-notch coffee, they’re also helping people impacted by homelessness back into employment, improving mental health support for people working in hospitality and fighting the impacts of deprivation on our streets.

Our Bristol cafes also serve Extract’s Guest Coffees, which support coffee growers from all over the world, from Betty Espresso produced by female farmers in Huila, Columbia, to Dr Strangelove, which supports the world’s first coffee producers to achieve carbon-neutral certification, in Costa Rica.

We’re proud to work with our suppliers and make sure we’re serving food that makes you feel good. But, our suppliers are experiencing price increases too, and so we’re paying a bit more for our ingredients.

So what does that mean for me?

All this means that we’ve had to slightly increase our prices. This won’t make us more money, but it will allow us to continue to Make Things Better, and we can only do that thanks to you. We always want to hear what you think, so if you have any feedback about these changes (or anything else!) just get in touch.