Food & Drink
New(ish) Kids on the Block – Folkestone Harbour 10 Year anniversary
Folkestone Harbour is celebrating 10 years of being an entertainment destination space. Every year, new food and drink businesses have joined the site to help build on its success. Folkelife thought it would be good to hear from two relatively new traders on why they chose Folkestone Harbour to grow their business.
Brad Cheeseman and Perri Johnson opened Queso Hombre on the Arm in 2024. After a hugely successful year, they opened SIP At The Signal Box in 2025.
Barney Howard started in 2020 with his van serving pizza to the Drive In cinema during Covid times. He became an established member of The Goods Yard in 2021 with Barney And The Pizza. Now, in 2025 he has added Slices On The Arm, and Vinnies Sandwich Bar to his list.
queso hombre
Brad: “I’ve always visited Folkestone Harbour; I grew up in Ashford so I’ve been coming down here all my life. When I looked at this place and started to dream about having my own set up here it really was that, a dream. But, I sent off a few emails, conversations started happening and now it’s a reality. There’s a place for people down here to enjoy food and learn more about cheese, and see me grilling it. And, look at that view, it’s the best view around! To be able to enjoy delicious melted cheese and a perfectly-paired Spanish Rioja, in our Spanish Street-Food bar, it’s spot on!”
Perri: “In 2025, we took on SIP At The Signal Box. We were looking for a second location as well as having Queso on The Arm. It was one of those times when it didn’t take long to decide this is what we wanted to do. We had peeped in here a couple of years ago when it was vacant and thought then it would be a fantastic place to have but it wasn’t the right time.”
SIP AT THE SIGNAL BOX
“What I love about the Signal Box is the location, the history, the feel of the building, it’s got so much character. It lends itself to being a place where people can pop in for a coffee and cake to take away, or to sit down for a longer stay and enjoy the views. And the views are stunning.”
Brad: “We felt it would be a really big missed opportunity if we didn’t give it a go. It’s so important for us to respect the historical features of the Signal Box. We wanted to open it up and let people have access to the levers and to pull them if they wanted too. It’s also important to make the space work as a coffee shop again.”
barney and the pizza
“We’ve been at Folkestone Harbour since 2020 and the mad Covid times. The team had created a drive-in cinema on the western car-park, with food vans to serve the punters. We came on board to safely serve our pizza and loved being here. The Goods Yard was then put in place for the winter months and we got a hut there and not looked back.
“Our present to us for the 10th Anniversary has been to extend our hut in The Goods Yard, and also to open up Slices on the Arm, serving slices of 20 inch pizza and beer whilst you listen to the live music there. The third business of mine is Vinnies Meat Company serving loaded sandwiches in The Goods Yard too.”
cracking venue
“I love being part of Folkestone Harbour, not only is the view spectacular. The visitors are great at building the atmosphere too. Folkestone really is the best destination; the parking is right here, and such a choice of food and drink venues on site. It means you can come and visit again and again and try something new each time.
“With our mobile food business we do a lot of work around Kent and there’s really nothing like Folkestone. We talk to many people about coming down here and they’re always surprised if they haven’t been to the town in a while. The place has changed, and it’s so vibrant and alive with such a variety of things to do and food to eat. You’re not competing with the other food traders as everyone has their own spot, their own specialty. I really enjoy tasting everyone else’s food too so that’s good for me to have that variety.
“But that’s not to say that we don’t work hard and do our best. There’s competition in the sense that we need to keep on our game and make sure that everything we’re making is the best we can possibly do. We’re renovating our existing sheds and growing into new spaces to show that we can bring people back week on week to try something new.”