You may also have spotted a large advertising board that can sometimes be seen in the occasionally open Castle Hotel entrance. It's not always on display. It reads, "Breakfast open at 7.00 a.m." That'll be Wednesday, then, because there are still 55 hours to go till the official re-opening.We shouldn't be surprised that Wetherspoon's will serve breakfast so early. It's an hotel, after all. It's obviously also open to non-residents at this time. The messages on the board act as a bit of a jolt. It reminds us that it won’t be just pubs that will struggle against JDW's keen prices. It will be cafés, too.
Not that there are many cafés open at this hour. While most do open reasonably early, compared with shops, nothing's available in town at anything like 7 a.m. The earliest in town is the Castle Park Café at 8 a.m., followed by the likes of the Cherry Bomb, Gail's (formerly Nancherow) and the Village Bakery, all at 8.30 a.m.
A traditional breakfast at the Castle Hotel will be £3.10. The illustration shows two slices of bacon, a sausage, an egg, two hash browns, a large button mushroom, half a grilled tomato and a serving of baked beans. Coffee comes in at £1.19 which, by my estimation, totals £4.29 for a meal and drink, served between 7 a.m. and noon.
Café prices for a traditional "full English" vary from £3.70 (without beverage) at the Castle Park to £5.50 (with beverage at Annie's, open variously from 9 a.m. but not on Mondays). Annie's will, no doubt, be in a different league to the Castle Hotel and will attract a different market.
What about the others?
The Castle Hotel also offers a breakfast bap for £1.89 including tea or coffee. You can have something similar at Siop Nain for £3 (plus the cost of a brew).
Wetherspoon's also has free wi-fi. I think the only café offering this currently is Crown House.