When the River Exe Café isn’t gently bobbing on the water, serving lunch to sun-kissed boat lovers, wonderful guests new & old and slow-living locals, life doesn’t stop. It simply shifts gear.

Winter is our in-between season - the quiet, industrious months where the real work happens. The months where our floating restaurant in Devon becomes less about plates and people, and more about preparation, planning, paintbrushes and problem-solving. It’s the unseen side of this little slice of floating heaven.

Preparing the café for the water

Before we float, we prep. Every single detail matters when your restaurant lives on the river.

We’re checking electrical systems, testing fixtures, and making sure everything on board is ready for another season afloat. From required safety checks to layout tweaks, winter is when we refine how the café works - not just how it looks.

Rearranging, rethinking, refining

Some changes are subtle. Others are practical but powerful.

We’ve been reworking elements like the toilet layout and internal flow, small adjustments that make a big difference once we’re busy. Better service flow means smoother days for our team and a more relaxed experience for you, our guests - fewer bottlenecks, less waiting, more ease.

It’s all about making the café feel effortless, even when it’s at its busiest.

Building the summer team

Winter is also when we recruit the people who bring the café to life.

We’re carefully building our summer team - people who understand pace without pressure, who care about service without fuss, and who genuinely love being part of something a little different. A floating restaurant in Devon isn’t a standard hospitality job, and we’re proud to create a team culture that reflects that.

Curating the wine list

There’s something deeply satisfying about shaping a wine list before a single glass is poured.

We’re tasting, pairing and planning - thinking about long lunches, sunset drinks, shared bottles and moments that stay with you. Wines that work beautifully with the menu, but also stand alone when all you want is a glass on the pontoon, a view and nowhere else to be.

Planning the menus

Menus are born quietly, long before they ever reach your table.

Winter is where Head Chef Jack's ideas are sketched, flavours tested and seasonal rhythms mapped out. We think about how dishes will feel eaten on the water, how they suit the time of day, and how they pair with the atmosphere we’re creating.

Nothing rushed. Nothing accidental.

Repainting, repairing and restoring

This is the unglamorous bit - but it’s essential.

There’s repainting, repairing, fixing, welding and restoring. Jobs that guests never see in the raw, but absolutely feel. Every winter task feeds into the experience you have when you step on board and everything just works.

Creating the magic

This is when the magic quietly starts to form.

Not in one big moment, but in hundreds of small decisions - layout changes, team choices, menu tweaks, maintenance jobs. All so that when we finally float again, it feels calm, intentional and completely effortless.

Because your experience on our floating restaurant in the heart of beautiful Devon, should feel like an escape.
And escapes are built long before the doors open.