DURING the past few years many restaurants and cafes have come and gone in Bournemouth town centre.

I read in the Echo on October 15 that the Revival Wellness cafe is due to open in Old Christchurch Road.

Owner Matthew Cosier tells us: "It's more than a cafe; it's a communal hub, a place for people to gather, recharge, and be inspired."

I also read in the Echo on October 16 that the Ivy Bournemouth Brasserie is due to open in the Square on November 12.

General manager Barnaby Harris-Reid promises "an all-day dining experience that locals and visitors alike will cherish."

I wish both businesses success and hope they live up to the hubris and hyperbole that has been generated.

Will they, I wonder, still be trading in six months' time?

So many cafes and restaurants have failed because, in my view, the public do not find "exciting new concepts" attractive and much prefer something low-key and familiar.

It is my view that if a cafe or restaurant wishes to succeed in the long term it should copy the business model that existed in the Edwardian era.

In those far-off days cafes and restaurants were genteel, refined and cultured establishments in which the ambience was enhanced by the presence of classically trained musicians who entertained the customers with renditions of light classical music.

The hospitality trade should look to the past when considering the future.

Failure to do so will be another blow to the commercial welfare of Bournemouth town centre.

Geoffrey Lindley

Ferndown