Roni and Rita’s – Food and Drink ending in ‘oni or ‘ita

Peperoni or Negroni?  Margarita cocktail or Margherita pizza?  Roni and Rita’s has opened at 2, Church Street and is going down a storm.  Run by three stalwarts of the Folkestone food scene, James Bicker, Holly and Josh Cottingham, the team welcome you to their new establishment. Folkelife went along to see them all in their new gaff.

James: “I love living in Folkestone, it’s the idea that we’re busy during the summer with all the visitors, then we get our town back in the winter.  It’s two towns rolled into one; the summer version has excitement and a new lease of life, and the wintery, wet and windy town is cute and that’s what I like about it.”

Holly: “We wanted a venue that could encompass a lot of things for different people.  This is a pub that serves Detroit pizza and fried chicken, but it’s very much a drink lead venue.  We can be family friendly, and then have the capacity to turn into more of a bar come eight or nine o’clock.  You get a change in clientele that come in and are looking for something different.”

Josh: “There’s a bit of something for everyone; we have the vast range of cocktails, beers and wine, but also have really nice alcohol free options. The food is also great for people who weren’t necessarily planning to come out for dinner, but then fancy a slice of pizza or some chicken tenders.”

James: “Yes, you can have a nibble, and then a bit more of a nibble.  It’s good that you don’t have to force down a whole pizza, which is a real commitment.  We find that people order one slice, then come up for two more.”

music and chill

Holly: “We’ve just got our late license which means we’re open until 1am on Friday and Saturday, and then midnight on Sunday.  Every two weeks there will be a DJ on Saturday and Sunday evenings, and then the other weekends will be chill time for those who want a quiet night out.”

Josh: “This bar has a bit of all of us in it.  We didn’t really design it as such.  Holly loves leopard print – hence the leopard print toilet and banquette.  It was a smorgasbord of ideas, and if you need to ask then you have missed to point of what we’re doing.  There wasn’t actually a point!”

roni and rita

James: “The name has so many connotations.  If you like drinks then it’s anything ending in roni, or rita – Negroni, Margarita.  It works for pizzas too.  But I’ve started to answer to Ronnie now as everyone keeps asking if I’m Ronnie and she’s Rita (pointing to Holly).”

Holly: “The pizzas on our menu all have human names, and that’s actually the cast of Eastenders, which we thought was fun.  And as for the decor, if you look at one side, it’s quite sensible and has the old photos of Folkestone.  Then on the other side it’s a wall of 90s superstars, from Uri Geller to Mr Blobby.”

Josh: “We didn’t do it for anyone else, we did it for us, and had a lot of fun doing it to!”

grown up

James: “We’ve worked across town in other establishments, and this is now ours.  It seems quite grown up of us on the one hand.  But then we find hospitality really fun.  If you take the time to talk to the customers at the bar then you get to meet the people.  It’s the people that make the environment, and you can build something that people want to come to.”

Holly: “And being in the middle of town, we’re more a place for locals and regulars.  Yes, it’s nice to get visitors on their way down or up from the Harbour, but it’s lovely to see people popping in after work, and this being a regular part of their week.”

Josh: “We’ve also found that people like coming here on their own, which is really good.  It means that we’re a welcoming space for everyone.  There are still new people coming to Folkestone, and what we’re doing is building a little community here.  Some places could be intimidating, and you need to find your tribe.  We’re offering something different to the Radnor Arms or L+B, so hopefully there is something for everyone here.”