Yahoo News Owners of old school Surrey restaurant for sale after decades 'would love for someone to continue our legacy’
Old school restauranteurs in Surrey who have run their homely establishment for decades with generations of loyal customers, say they are still open and having fun despite putting their business on the market. Tony Frias and Toni Trillo have run the Toby Cottage for decades, and would love to find someone to carry on their legacy.
The pair, now in their 60s, adore the restaurant but feel in the coming years they will be ready to retire and have a three to five year plan. The Toby Cottage has been a restaurant since 1957, and has survived multiple recessions and the pandemic.
Taking the Ripley restaurant over in 2006, the two have lived and worked on the Surrey culinary scene since the 1980s. Toni worked at Foxhills Country Club for six years, before meeting Tony at the Cloche Hat in Chobham in 1999.
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Toni told SurreyLive: “We had this fantastic opportunity to run this very special place. Over the years we have had happy memories and happy times. When we do retire we leave behind a legacy and we would love for someone to carry it on, we're still having fun but are getting a bit tired.”
After news broke that the two were looking to retire, Toni was inundated with calls from customers asking what was happening. He wants his customers to know that while they are currently looking for someone with passion and energy to take over, they are still running the restaurant business as usual.
Priding themselves on their good old fashioned way of running, Toni says the reason the restaurant stays successful is because it’s a classic. He said: “We have generations of customers who have been coming here with their families for 40 or 50 years.
“The old fashioned style of service are very much 70s and 80s and it’s part of our DNA here. What we do is what people come here for, what makes it successful is how we treat customers and care for them, we really care.”
Toni added that the team likes to ensure that customers have a unique experience, with homemade dishes. He said: “It’s also how we present and deliver the food with a happy little joke.”
Some of Toni’s favourite dishes on their menu include beef wellington, fresh fish flame grilled. He also loves the flambe dishes which the team organise ahead of time as a special occasion, but they love putting on a show for customers.
The dessert trolley is also a classic feature in the restaurant, with fresh pastries, cakes and sweet treats. Toni said: “It’s all home made on the premises, we wheel it around and we are very proud of it and it works really well and means customers can see the desserts.”
Verity, the pastry chef, has been working on site for six years and makes a range of desserts like tiramisu, creme caramel, profiteroles and banoffee pie. Over the years working at the restaurant, the two have curated a stunning wine list with around 150 wines in total, including vintage tipples.
To visit the Toby Cottage, follow the link here to make a booking.
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