THE owner of The Octagon restaurant perched inside Swindon’s bus station is selling on the business after 33 years.

Dennis Offer, now 62, is selling the restaurant to new owners and is looking forward to new beginnings after serving office workers and locals in the town since 1985.

Dennis, who moved from working for Lloyds Bank and re-trained as a chef when he opened, said:“It’s quite exciting, I’ve now got over the nerves of leaving and I’m looking forward to it.

“We had nothing here at all when we started, we had to build it up from scratch.

“We started it on the basis of trying to make our own food from scratch, using quality ingredients, and getting away from the fact that we were in a bus station.”

Dennis trained as a chocolatier and pastry chef once the cafe got going.

“We peaked in the late 90s to 2003 when it was a very successful business, serving between 1000 -2000 people a day," he said.

“We got trade from the bus and train station and a lot of people were coming from the offices round here. We were much-loved by the nearby office staff.

“To the best of my knowledge we’re the only craft bakery in Swindon town centre that I’m aware off.”

“I worked out we were varying the menu constantly at the peak of the business, and we had over a hundred different recipes.

But the long-time owner said changing eating habits and lack of investment in the town centre has made it a challenge to compete.

"People tend to snack these days and don’t eat big meals at lunch time any more. They eat on the move, which they didn’t used to, so the trade has changed a lot.”

The cafe had a lease until 2005 but it wasn't renewed because Dennis expected the site to be developed, leaving him unable to invest in the business.

“There are a very small number of independent businesses in the area left. The large businesses have obviously got the cushioning large-scale finances.

“There’s a young couple coming, and I wish them every success.

"I’ll be finding a part-time job and starting a new phase of my life," he said.

Co-worker Martin Yates, who has worked with Dennis for 22 years, said: "It won't be the same without him, but I wish him good luck to him with whatever he does next. He will be missed and the customers will be sorry to see him go.

"He's talking about getting another job but I'm sure he'll take some time out."