Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim has sold his iconic beachfront cafe just a year after it was forced to close due to a rodent infestation.
The Right Here Right Now legend has offloaded the Big Beach Cafe saying he is getting ‘too old’ to run the popular diner.
Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, 62, and his manager Dan Stockland say the time is right for a new owner to come in and bring a fresh vision to the cafe.
Dan, who is also head chef, said selling the cafe would open up ‘new challenges’ for them both.
He said: ‘I think the time is right. It’s time for a new challenge. We’ve been running this cafe for 14 years.
‘Neither of us are getting any younger – we’re getting older. I think it’s time for a fresh start.’
Norman’s cafe, in the DJ’s native Hove, East Sussex, is a ‘bucket and spade’ diner popular with parents and children due the nearby play park and lagoon.
However it was hit by a series of problems last year and was forced to shut its doors due to an infestation of rodents.
It was handed a one-star food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency after mouse droppings were found in the food areas of the Hove Lagoon business.
Superstar DJ Fatboy Slim (pictured) has sold his iconic beachfront cafe just a year after it was forced to close due to a rodent infestation. The Right Here Right Now legend has offloaded the Big Beach Cafe saying he is getting ‘too old’ to run the popular diner
The cafe is a ‘bucket and spade’ diner popular with parents and children due the nearby play park and lagoon. However it was hit by a series of problems last year and was forced to shut its doors due to an infestation of rodents. Pictured: Mice droppings
It was handed a one-star food hygiene rating from the Food Standards Agency after mouse droppings were found in the food areas of the Hove Lagoon business
Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, 62, and his manager Dan Stockland say the time is right for a new owner to come in and bring a fresh vision to the cafe (pictured)
The report from an inspection at the beginning of September 2024 said the mouse droppings had been found and presented an ‘imminent risk to food safety’.
It said that urgent improvements were necessary to get the kitchen back up to standard.
The report also said food was kept at 15C – when it should be below 8C, lettuce was not washed before use, chopping boards were worn and a chef was not wearing an apron.
Staff at the DJ’s café said they worked hard to bring the hygiene and rodent problem under control.
However it was forced to shut for one day to allow experts to ensure the building was improved long-term.
The setback came just weeks after Fatboy’s cafe was vandalised by a gang of youths last summer.
Paving slabs were thrown at the cafe shutters leaving them warped, bent and broken.
A 15-year-old boy later admitted causing over £1,000 of damage after a group of boys smashed the window and destroyed a CCTV camera.
Staff at the DJ’s café said they worked hard to bring the hygiene and rodent problem under control. However it was forced to shut for one day to allow experts to ensure the building was improved long-term
The DJ – real name Norman Cook – has owned the lease of the café since he bought it from Sir Paul McCartney ‘s ex Heather Mills in 2013. He is pictured, right, inside the eatery
One regular, Jim Phelan, 42, said: ‘It’s a shame it’s being sold but it is probably time for a change. I love coming here but it does need sprucing up and maybe the menu could be refreshed.’
Another said: ‘It’s got a bit tired and a new owner might bring in a few fresh ideas which will help.’
Fatboy Slim bought the Big Beach Café from former model and animal rights activist Heather Mills.
The ex-wife of Beatles star Paul McCartney ran what was then the vegan café V Bites for four years.
The superstar DJ will play three massive shows on Brighton beach for Big Beach Boutique 7 next summer – a quarter of a century after drawing a 40,000-strong crowd with his first gig there. The gigs will take place on July 17, 18 and 19.
