Meet Jonathan Pring of The Teapot

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Pring.

Jonathan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in London England. A dual citizen of US and UK. My mum was the Girl from Baltimore. Moved to Phoenix in 2008 to catch up with an old school friend. 10 years later I’m still here + wife, child, house and a small business.

Shortly after arriving in Phoenix my school buddy and I founded ‘The Real London Bus Company’ (www.reallondonbus.com), a charter and tour company utilizing authentic double Decker London buses. We shipped each bus over from the UK – quite an adventure! At our height in 2015, we had seven buses.

After becoming a father I was looking to shift gears, away from the 2 am party bus scene somewhere more in line with my current stage of life. Inspired by a recent trip to London we started The Teapot, a family inspired coffee shop and event space. We consider ourselves to be the most family-friendly restaurant in all of America.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We started the London bus company in 2008 just as the recession hit. Despite many efforts, we were unable to secure any type of ‘Start-Up’ funding. Resorted to personal family loans in order to purchase and import our first London Bus (good’ole Bus #1)

Our Teapot venture is a new concept business and as a result, there were some cultural challenges we had to overcome. There was initial resistance to our pricing model. We add a $2 per child ‘Plat Ticket’ to all customer orders. This goes towards the upkeep of our toys and PlayHouse (we have a two story playhouse in our back garden.

Having been open almost two years most customers accept our PlayTicket concept and feel it is justified.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
On a quiet residential street in the historic Roosevelt Neighborhood of downtown Phoenix, a newly opened eatery is laying claim to being America’s most family-friendly restaurant. “We’re planting a flag. We challenge any other restaurant to match our level of family orientated service” states Jonathan Pring, co-owner of The Teapot.

Frustrated with the limited options available for enjoying meals out with their two-year-old son, husband and wife owners Jonathan & Raelynn Pring set out to create a new type of dining experience. Their vision was to create a hip, well-designed space where adults can dine & relax while their children play. “We didn’t want it to be cheesy,” says Raelynn, a commercial interior designer by day.

Unlike other family-oriented restaurants, The Teapot aims to appeal to both adults and children equally. The décor is colorful and modern yet retains much of the character of the historic property. Large areas of the interior have intentionally been left open leaving space for children to scamper and for moms to pass through with double loaded strollers. Its location on a quiet residential street, with fully enclosed soft grass lawns, offers an environment where parents can lower their guard and enjoy family meals out in a safe and picturesque setting. The big draw for the kiddos is of course – the two-story Playhouse in the back garden!

The Teapot’s menu is colorful and healthy. Items such as their gluten-free Waffle Board, Honey Bear Toast or Acia berry bowl are popular choices with health-conscious moms of the Instagram generation. Whether you are thirsty for an iced chai latte, a glass of local beer, wine or a Saturday afternoon mimosa The Teapot has you covered. The restaurant also specializes in traditional English scones served with homemade cream and jam.

The restaurant has already gone viral among Valley moms groups and was recently voted one of the best family-friendly coffee shops in America.

The Teapot hosts a variety of family inspired events each month including story times, movie nights, kid’s camps and yoga classes. Coming up on November 12th they are hosting a sellout Pop-Up Shop community event and there are plans to host single parent Date Nights – with the kids of course! The Teapot is open 6 days a week Tuesday through Sunday. On any given afternoon families can be seen relaxing on picnic blankets, scampering in the grass and soaking up the atmosphere.

What were you like growing up?
Studied Geography at School. I love looking at maps. I recently discovered one of my great, great ancestors was an explorer called Martin Pring, a captain commissioned by Walter Raleigh to explore the North American east coast – I Love That!

Contact Info:

• Address: 818 N 5th ave Phoenix, Arizona 85003
• Website: www.theteapotus.com
• Email: info@theteapotus.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theteapoton5th/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theteapot.us/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-teapot-phoenix

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.