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The owners of a Ouaisné beach café that shut its doors last month have put forward plans to open a catering business at the site of the former Lucas Brothers farm shop.
Kismet Cabana bid a “heartfelt farewell” to its loyal customers at a ‘Farewell to Ouaisné Fiesta’ at the start of November.
Speaking to Express at the time, owner Chris Lister teased a new chapter for Kismet as he explained he was hoping to take the private catering side of the business to "the next level".
He said the business was looking to set up a front-of-house shop somewhere else on the island to showcase its catering.
Pictured: Chris Lister is pictured here on the far right, with the Kismet Cabana team. (Rob Currie)
Now, plans have been submitted to transform the vacant Lucas Bros Farm Shop, at the bottom of La Haule Hill in St Brelade, into a commercial kitchen with ancillary storage – as well as a private events or catering showroom for prospective customers.
In the proposals, Mr Lister explained that, although Kismet Cabana was "extremely popular", the current economic climate is proving difficult for "all cafés and restaurants in Jersey" and so "all must seek to diversify".
Pictured: The former Lucas Brothers' farm shop has been vacant since 2023.
According to the planning application, the Kismet Cabana owners are exploring seeking planning permission to utilise the vacant buildings at the Lucas Bros site as a base for the catering and events company.
"The building would be divided into three elements: commercial kitchen, ancillary storage, showroom/office/retail," the plans state.
The document says that the vacant buildings at La Haule Farm would be "ideal for the purpose", having operated for over 50 years before closing in 2023.
Pictured: Mr Lister said all food outlets had to "diversify" in the current economic climate.
The private catering offering would include facilitating functions such as weddings and corporate events, according to the plans – with extras such as deckchairs and candy floss machines being supplied.
There are also proposals to use the showroom to sell produce, such as Genuine Jersey items and local dishes.
In the application, the former Kismet Cabana owners said: "We aim to showcase what Jersey has and what we do best in produce, from different farms around the island, and then using that to put together delicious local dishes."
The full planning application can be viewed online.
Ouaisné beach café to bid "heartfelt farewell" this weekend
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