Burnley milkshake bar is drawing the crowds

A young entrepreneur is shaking things up after proving his business is more than just a 'flavour of the month'.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Mar 2016, 11:00 BST
Updated 2nd Mar 2016, 11:31 BST
MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.
MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.

Ellis’s Milkshake and Smoothie Bar opened 16 months ago and has just been nominated in the Retail Business category at the Lancashire Red Rose Awards.

Owner Kyle Ellis (26) started the Standish Street shop after being inspired by a similar venture while studying for his degree in Leeds.

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“There was a milkshake bar over there while I was studying. That sort of gave me the spark to do it. I thought I would bring it to Burnley because it is quite a unique idea for the area.

MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.
MILK TIME: James Sunderland taking on the 30 miniute challenge at Elliss Milkshake and Smoothie Bar.

“Burnley is a great place to have an independent shop, especially on Standish Street. We’re all independent shops on here and even since I opened we’ve have a number of new businesses opening up. It’s a bit away from the town centre so obviously we don’t get the foot traffic the shops there do but it’s still a great place to trade.”

More than 150 milkshakes can be found on Ellis’s menu, ranging from Maltesers and Oreos to Skittles and Refreshers, as well as fresh fruit smoothies and waffles.

“It’s gone down really well especially with the younger crowd,” said the former Fisher More pupil. “Students at Burnley College, UCLan and the local schools seem to have really cottoned onto it. It was a bit of a slow start but once word of mouth got around we started to grow.

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“We’re hoping to expand in a couple of years once we have established the Burnley shop. We’ll be looking at opening another one, definitely in the Lancashire area, most probably Pendle.”

Ellis's Milkshakes and Smoothie Bar on Standish Street, BurnleyEllis's Milkshakes and Smoothie Bar on Standish Street, Burnley
Ellis's Milkshakes and Smoothie Bar on Standish Street, Burnley

By that time somebody may have completed “Man vs Milkshake”, Ellis’s very own timed challenge where participants attempt to drink six large milkshakes in just 30 minutes.

Sound easy? Challenger James Sunderland managed three-and-a-half before throwing the towel in.

“I failed miserably,” said the 24-year-old. “I started well. Two went down in the first five minutes and then it took 10 minutes to get one and a bit down. It was much harder than I thought. It is difficult but I’m sure somebody can do it.”

Related topics:Burnley