Popular greasy spoon cafe Browns in the Covered Market has reopened today after it was forced to close due to an issue with the gas supply.
The cafe which has been serving cooked breakfasts, cakes and other meals since 1924, was closed for most of last week.
But staff were able to reopen to customers this morning after contractors identified and fixed the fault.
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A contractor working outside Browns said the problem had been fixed and the gas supply reactivated.
Father and son Agostinho and Humberto Freitas are originally from Madeira in Portugal and have been the owners since 1994.
Humberto took charge in 2010 and has been busy ever since, making sure regulars get their coffees and cooked breakfasts.
There are other cafes in the market but nowhere else feels like a traditional breakfast cafe in quite the same way.
Humberto was not at the cafe but his staff were busy serving customers again.
Last year the cafe's five-star food hygiene rating was renewed.
Humberto said at the time: "I am delighted - it’s a very positive seal of approval and a reminder of all the hard work our staff put in, day in, day out.
“I’m feeling positive because it’s quite busy in the market, and I think the tourists are coming back into Oxford.”
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Mr Freitas said earlier he has seen some regular customers return who vanished during the pandemic.
“A gentleman came in this week - he was a regular - but I hadn’t seen him since last year. I’m pretty sure he stayed away because of the virus," he added.
“Some of our customers come in at least twice a week and we are still here to deliver for the people of Oxford, the tourists and the students.”
Mr Freitas said he has a good rapport with other traders in the market.
“We get our bacon from Fellers and we try to source our food locally - our coffee comes from Cardews and our eggs from Bicester.”
Like other cafes and eateries, he has experienced wholesale food prices rocketing but is trying not to pass this additional cost on to the customers.
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After more than three decades in charge, the Freitas family is hopeful that business continues to be steady at the cafe where bricklayers eat their breakfasts next to university professors.
In 2017, Prince Charles and Camilla visited the cafe during a visit to the Covered Market.
They chatted to customers but were too busy to stay and sample some cakes.
A spokesman for the city council, landlords for the historic market, said: "Following a gas leak being detected in the Market and High Street, SGN were called last Monday evening and remained on site all week.
"The gas leak and any repairs were completed which allowed Browns Café to reopen."
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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