London says cheerio to Cereal Killer Café

The controversial Cereal Killer Café, which has sites in Camden and Brick Lane, has said cheerio to its fans after deciding not to reopen its doors.

Twins Alan and Gary Keery opened the UK’s first cereal-only café on Brick Lane in 2014

Twins Alan and Gary Keery, who opened the UK’s first cereal-only café on Brick Lane in 2014, announced the news yesterday on Instagram.

“After 5.5 years we will be saying Cheerio to our cafes, for now. After a long period of closure due to coronavirus, and with the future of the hospitality industry looking very uncertain, we have made a decision that our cafés on Brick Lane and Camden will not reopen their doors,” the duo said in a statement.

With ‘80s and ‘90s memorabilia plastered across the walls, the sites sold over 100 brands of cereal from across the globe, including classics like Coco Pops, Weetabix, Shreddies and Golden Grahams alongside American cereals like Reeses Puffs, Fruit Loops and Apple Jacks, and 12 different kinds of milk.

Soon after opening their Brick Lane café in 2014 the twins faced controversy, and were accused of being the embodiment of gentrification for charging £3.20 for a bowl of cereal, making Hackney unaffordable for the borough’s poorer residents.

Undeterred, the brothers went on to open a second café in Camden in 2015. Since launching the concept, the twins have served over a million bowls of cereal to hungry Londoners.

The pair will continue to sell rare and retro cereals on their website with subscription boxes available for super fans. They hope that they will be able to reopen the cafés in a year or two when the hospitality industry is in better shape.