A vegetarian coffee shop has worried it has ‘made a big mistake’ after believing it would attract passing custom from Douglas bus station.

Gaia opened around four months ago offering vegan and vegetarian hot drinks, as well as sandwiches and plant-based cakes and sweet treats. It even offers ‘superfood lattes’.

But the owners have posted on Facebook to say the bus passengers they hoped to get through the door are ‘not even looking their way’ and are appealing for people to try them out.

They said: ‘We did a big mistake. We thought that being so close to the bus stop was a big advantage in selling coffees and drinks. We thought was going to be easier than it is!

‘Well...most of the people using a bus on weekdays are rushing or they have their faces on the phone and they are not even looking our way.’

The honest post from Gaia says they are not selling anywhere near as many coffees as they had hoped.

They say: ‘It's been a big and expensive mistake. After almost four months since the opening, we are not doing half of the coffees we were supposed to.

‘As we are really grateful to have a few amazing regular customers and people who love the concept of our coffee shop, we decided to be honest and show transparency once again and call for your help. If someone that you know uses the bus stop on Lord Street, please send them our way

‘Thanks for supporting our small, local, cruelty-free family business.’

Gaia is not alone in struggling. Such are the concerns regarding the hospitality sector, the government announced last month the formation of ‘Hospitality Isle of Man’, a new representative board designed to provide a unified voice for the island’s struggling hospitality sector.

The initiative comes after a year marked by growing concerns from trade representatives, who warned that bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants were approaching a ‘crisis point’. The industry is calling for changes to minimum wage legislation and taxation policies.