The Henry's Story
Hendrick's of Hythe
In 2014, my wife, Tamsin and I, decided to grow my passion and hobby into a business. My talent lay in making chocolate and hers in retail, a powerful combination. Up to that point, we'd been selling my creations in markets around the East Kent area. All of a sudden, we had a business together, Hendrick's of Hythe. It worked well. Tamsin was an amazing ambassador for the business and built up a large and loyal following. Customer Service Awards were won and business grew.
As we entered the last year of the initial lease, our landlord decided to sell the company premises and the new landlord decided to start his own business there at the end of our 5 year lease.
The result of this was that from December 2018, Tamsin and I took over the lease of our current building and extended our business, Hendrick's of Hythe, into it as Hendrick's @ 152, primarily focussing on the kitchen and the pre-existing wine bar/restaurant feel.
Henry's Steakhouse
August 2019 saw another major change that left me as the 'Accidental Restaurateur'!
We struggled through the remains of 2019 as Henry's Steakhouse and entered 2020 in a slightly troubled state.
Enter, stage left, the pandemic!
It gave me time to sit back and reflect on what business I really wanted to be in.
The answer was that I wanted to have a wine bar, not a restaurant, and I wanted to make chocolate again.
For me, it has always been about the brown stuff!
A rebirth...
Henry's Wine Bar and Chocolate Café
With the help and advice of close friends, we transformed the steakhouse from a restaurant to the best wine bar in the area.
The original bar was replaced with the café and chocolate shop and a new bar was built in the old restaurant area. We still served a selection of high quality meals and a Sunday roast but the emphasis shifted towards the wet side of life.
Upstairs, we created 'The Chocolate Room' and production of chocolate restarted.
The past six years have not been plain sailing but Henry's has grown in stature as a wine bar and venue with a reputation for friendly service, quality wines and wonderfully inclusive clientele
