The family restaurant of a British racing driver has been overwhelmed by people's support after a plea went viral on social media.
The Haven near Salisbury has been struggling to attract customers following the devastating impact of Novichok and the pandemic.
But yesterday (May 15) people drove in from as far away as Bath to show Daniel Wells' family some solidarity.
The 29-year-old had taken to Twitter on Friday night to politely ask his 9,627 followers to pop in at the eatery on the A30 London Road if they happened to be in the area.
His plea came after the restaurant, owned by his parents Ann and Trevor and run by his sister Kirsty, took in just £82 in one day.
A tough couple of years
Kirsty Wells, 31, said her family has owned the venue since 2002 when her parents bought the restaurant from roadside restaurant chain Little Chef.
Up until 2017, the business was growing year on year.
However, ever since the Novichok poisonings, trade has proved more difficult.
The situation was made even worse by the restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic.
"The last good year we had was the one prior to Novichok," said Kirsty.
"That was a fantastic year and we were building on that but when Novichok hit, it had a huge effect on our takings.
"Ever since then we've been trying to build that up and then lockdown came just when we thought it couldn't get any worse so it's been a tough two and a half years."
'Disappointing' reopening
After the first lockdown in March last year, Kirsty and her parents renovated the restaurant's rear garden to provide outdoor seating and improve social distancing.
This allowed the eatery to reopen on April 12 with enough tables to accommodate 34 covers.
But even then, the situation remained challenging.
"We've been open since we were allowed thinking that people would start coming out but it's been very disappointing, we've had very bad takings," Kirsty revealed.
"One day it was even less than the £80 [my brother referred to] so it's been tough."
Overwhelming support
Earlier this week, Kirsty had an "emotional" conversation with her brother, a racing driver who has been based in Hong Kong for nine years.
"It was just one of those emotional moments where you have to face reality,” she said.
"I just said to him I might have to start looking for another job and for my brother to see me so upset, he just knew that if [business] didn't pick up when people are allowed inside as of tomorrow and we can't get through the summer, then it's going to be tough because my parents are putting in savings to keep the business afloat."
Much to her surprise, a few days later Daniel took to Twitter to ask for support, offering to buy a drink to anyone willing to help.
Hi Twitter! Yesterday my family's restaurant took just £82 for the day's takings - all day. It is called the Haven, on the A30 London Road, 3 miles out of Salisbury. They do super breakfasts, amazing handstretched pizzas etc. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/E4bpbJrWUk
— Dan Wells (@danwellsracing) May 14, 2021
After his tweet went viral, the restaurant received an outpouring of support from locals as well as customers further afield.
"I couldn't believe he put it up and I couldn't believe the reaction because I don't understand impressions and things like that.
"We had 10/12 people yesterday who came from quite a few miles and drove all the way from the other side of Bath or the other side of Blandford all because of the Twitter post.
"This lady with her dog drove from Bath and I literally just cried when she told me, it's just so heart-warming to know that there are people out there who do want to support us.
“I told them my brother would pay for their drinks but they didn’t even want that, it was so touching.
“Overall we took in £290 which is still horrendous for a Saturday considering we’ve got staff and overheads but it was very emotional.”
Talking about her brother and his way to contribute, Kirsty said: “I’m very proud of him, he’s everything I couldn’t be. You know when your younger sibling overtakes you in every aspect of life, he’s just amazing.”
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