I shouldn’t be one to criticise someone’s grasp of English–I use semicolons like a motherfucking clown–but nice work on the capital A and missing S in “apologises”.

I suppose this is why they evicted the queer café next door back in January.

FAQs About why Daily Bowl is closing?

This is an excerpt from our conversations with Network Rail and GWR. Despite involving advocates from Exeter City Council, and our MP contacting the DfT, we were unable to change the outcome.

Why is Network Rail evicting Daily Bowl, and what’s the rush? Network Rail is expanding the ticket barriers from 4 to 8 to address overcrowding at the stairs and footbridge during peak hours and improve passenger safety and revenue protection at the station. This expansion requires Daily Bowl’s space to relocate the gateline. The Department for Transport (DfT) set a deadline of July 2024 for the project. Failure to meet this would risk losing £2.5 million in funding via the Industry Revenue Generating Initiative (IRGI).

Are these station renovations absolutely necessary? Network Rail and GWR argue the renovations are essential, prioritising Exeter Central over Exeter St David’s despite overcrowding at both stations. Exeter Central has seen a 20% surge in passenger numbers. Overcrowding is managed differently at each station. At Exeter Central, ticket barrier expansion was chosen to alleviate congestion.

Why was it hard to appeal or delay the eviction? Initially, no justification was provided for the eviction, and uncovering the reasoning required significant time and effort. The complex organisational structure between Network Rail and our landlord, The Arch Company–a consortium of private investors that owns over 5,200 Network Rail properties since 2019–made obtaining critical information challenging. The ORR allows prioritisation of renovations addressing safety concerns or emergencies, as justification for reclaiming the leased space.

Couldn’t Network Rail wait until the lease break and reapply for funds, instead of prematurely reclaiming the space? Network Rail is unwilling to risk losing the funding, fearing it may not be secured again under the current Labour government. Additionally, delays could expose Network Rail to liability for accidents caused by overcrowding, further prompting them to act immediately.

Will Daily Bowl get compensation? No. Our lease includes a clause allowing The Arch Company to reclaim the space without compensation when required by Network Rail. This is a standard condition for leases managed by The Arch Company.

Why couldn’t we find another space in Exeter right away? Available spaces in Exeter that meet our needs are outside our price range due to high rents and business rates. A relocation requires costly refits. As an independent business with only two years of operation, we cannot manage these expenses. A premises we had applied for and hoped to secure unfortunately fell through.

What’s next for Daily Bowl? We will close café operations on 17th January and begin dismantling the space for handover. While we hope to return in another form in the future, we plan to take a pause before continuing our mission. Updates will be shared via our social media channels. If you have any questions or know of possible options for us, please reach out to us at info@dailybowl.co.uk.

I hope it’s worth it, because that eviction stunk.