Is There Another Way Forward for The Warren?
Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking deeply about the future of The Warren.
To be honest, I don’t think I can go back to running it in the way I used to.
For a long time, I carried most of the responsibility, pressure and emotional weight of the project on my own, and eventually it stopped feeling sustainable, both mentally and financially. Closing the doors and putting The Warren into hibernation wasn’t an easy decision.
At the same time, I still really believe in this space.
I still believe independent hospitality matters.
I still believe food can bring people together in powerful ways.
And I still believe Carmarthen deserves ambitious, values-led spaces that feel rooted in community.
Over recent years, helping build and champion the pay-what-you-can-afford model at Cegin Hedyn CIC has completely shifted how I think about hospitality, accessibility and community. Seeing people come together around good food, dignity and shared purpose has made me realise I don’t want whatever comes next at The Warren to simply become another traditional restaurant again.
What I keep coming back to is this idea of building something more collaborative.
Something where the responsibility, creativity and energy doesn’t all sit on one person’s shoulders.
Maybe that looks like:
chef residencies
collaborative pop-ups
a worker-supported model
community involvement
a cooperative structure
a cultural and food space shaped by lots of different people over time
Honestly, I’m still figuring some of that out.
What I do know is:
I don’t want to do it alone anymore.
I also don’t want the building sitting empty indefinitely while I endlessly overthink what to do next.
So rather than disappearing quietly, I’d genuinely like to open this conversation up properly.
Do people think a different kind of hospitality model like this could actually work in Carmarthen?
Would people support something that was:
slower
more collaborative
more community-rooted
less extractive
more accessible
and built around shared responsibility?
And perhaps most importantly:
Are there people out there who would genuinely want to help build something like this together?
I’d really love to hear your thoughts.
Please leave a comment below, or join the conversation over on our social channels where I’ll be sharing more thoughts and ideas as they develop.
Big love,
Deri
