Tesco cafe manager entertains queuing customers with hilarious sing-along

A CAFE manager has been raising money for Queen Alexandra Hospital while entertaining queuing customers with daily renditions of iconic sing-along tunes.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

As the coronavirus pandemic began to grip the nation, Steve Taylor, cafe manager at Tesco supermarket on Crasswell Street, was transferred from his culinary duties to helping organise customers queuing to enter the store.

Not content with his daily door duties, Steve decided to bring his music system and loudspeaker to work to go through his full repertoire of songs including soul and Motown classics.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Steve, who is a regular performer at local pubs and clubs, said: ‘After the cafe was closed for the pandemic I was just grateful to have the opportunity to still be in work. Sometimes shoppers can be queuing for more than 20 minutes and I just wanted to do something to put a smile on people’s faces.

Steve Taylor, 40, from Havant is a regular performer in the local pub and club scene.Steve Taylor, 40, from Havant is a regular performer in the local pub and club scene.
Steve Taylor, 40, from Havant is a regular performer in the local pub and club scene.

‘The response from customers has been amazing. As people have been going into the store they have been saying they really enjoyed it and that the songs had cheered them up.

‘Last Thursday I sang Sweet Caroline and everyone was joining in. It was brilliant to see everyone happy at what is a difficult time.’

Read More
Chef creates spectacular cake in support of NHS staff at Queen Alexandra Hospita...

As well as raising spirits, customers have donated generously to help raise over £1,500 for staff at QA.

Steve Taylor, cafe manager at Tesco supermarket, singing outside the store.Steve Taylor, cafe manager at Tesco supermarket, singing outside the store.
Steve Taylor, cafe manager at Tesco supermarket, singing outside the store.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Steve commented: ‘Due to the long hours that doctors and nurses are having to work they are sometimes having to sleep overnight at the hospital and use on site showers to get washed.

‘To help with this situation we are going to use the money raised to purchase toiletries to send to QA for them to use.’

Steve’s daily performance has also been viewed by hundreds of social media users who have posted videos online as well as enjoying Steve’s own Facebook live concert at the supermarket’s entrance.

The musical medley certainly appears to have been a hit with Facebook users.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One poster said: ‘Oh my God, what a song to finish off with. Awesome. You have been amazing.’

Another commented: ‘We are dancing at our front doors and love it. Well done’, while one Facebook user simply referred to Steve as ‘absolute legend’.

Steve added: ‘I’ve never seen anything like it. It was just real good fun.’

If you would like to donate to Steve’s fundraiser for QA then go to http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/crasswellsttesco3048?utm_term=Gy2mGM6aQ

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.