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Cal’s bar set to replace Folkestone Smash Burger company on Cheriton High Street
11:45, 13 October 2023
A bar with a unique twist is set to replace a former high street burger joint.
Cal’s bar will open in Cheriton High Street this month – and will double as a donation hub for the homeless.
It will replace the former Folkestone Smash Burgers at number 83.
The upcoming bar – which will offer cocktails by night and afternoon tea – is the brainchild of bartender Callum Oakley, from Folkestone.
Having run mobile cocktail bar business Misused Cocktails for five years, Mr Oakley opened a restaurant-cum-bar in the town last year, but was forced to close due to issues with the building.
He said: “I have been bartending for years and running my own mobile bar company for five – it’s a real passion for me and owning and running a bar has always been a dream.
“I’m extremely excited to bring the best cocktails in town to Cheriton.”
The bar will also be used to collect donations for the homeless and disperse them to people in need.
The charitable move was inspired by Mr Oakley’s own experience of being homeless for five years, between the ages of 15 and 20.
Now 30 and a father-of-two, he says he wants to use his experience as a drive to do good in the community.
“Having been homeless myself for a large part of my teenage years, I’ve always been keen on the idea of paying some good forward in a way,” he explained.
“We will collect donations at the bar – anything from food and drink to clothes, toiletries and anything else for those in need.
“We will then offer collections from there too, as well as heading to dispersal centres two days a week to make sue they get to those who need it.”
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