SAY Doughnuts owner Aaron Shaed told PEOPLE the pop star has come by several times, trying doughnuts, matcha and a unique coffee drink
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NEED TO KNOW
- Harry Styles has visited SAY Doughnuts in Bedford, England, multiple times over the past few weeks, creating excitement and buzz in the shop
- The singer introduced the owner to a unique espresso and orange juice drink, which will be featured on the shop’s menu this summer
- Owner Aaron Shaed told PEOPLE that Styles is “down to earth” and has shown appreciation for the shop’s matcha and doughnuts
Harry Styles has become a "bit of a regular" at a local U.K. coffee shop, according to the owner.
The English singer has stopped by SAY Doughnuts in Bedford, England, several times over the past few weeks, causing excitement in the store and around the town, co-founder Aaron Shaed told PEOPLE.
While Shaed said the coffee shop is already “pretty popular," the “Dance No More” singer stopping by “a few times over the last couple of weeks” has made an impact.
“It's quite surreal to be fair,” Shaed said. “It was just a pleasure to meet him and have him actually come into the shop, pay compliments there.”
“He was really cool, down to earth,” Shaed said. “He introduced himself, like said, ‘Hi, my name’s Harry’ … it was just like a normal customer interaction.”
“He’s become a little bit of a regular over the last couple of weeks,” Shaed added.
He said the first day the singer came in, he ordered an espresso over ice. Shaed found the order uncommon and decided to try it for himself, something he does with all unique orders.
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He said he saw Styles returning to the shop a second time that day around "15 minutes later" and told him he tried the espresso over ice.
“He said to me, ‘yeah, what you want to do, actually, is add orange juice to the espresso, and make it a sunshine espresso. When do you do that, it is sensational, you should do that’” Shaed recalled.
“I did that right away, and that has been my go-to drink,” the café owner said. “I’ve had at least one every day, sometimes two.”
He also said his team has been drinking the coffee and is adding it to the shop's menu this summer.
Shaed also revealed that Styles bought four boxes of doughnuts for his team when he returned to the shop a second time that first day. The founder said this experience was “quite flattering,” adding that the team making the doughnuts, along with the baristas making his drinks, were all “really happy” to be serving Styles.
On the subsequent visits, Shaed said, Styles ordered “a few different variations of matcha,” from hot to iced to coconut.
Shaed said he and his business partner started SAY during the pandemic, making doughnuts in the kitchen, and they prioritize things like making matcha slowly to ensure quality. This care is something he said Styles commented on.
“The fact that he’s said he really likes the fact that we do it like this has made it worthwhile,” Shaed said.
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The founder thanked the singer for visiting, which he says he does for all customers, but he wanted to share the “particular pleasure” it was for the team with Styles. He noted that he didn’t want to “trouble” Styles for a photo, as the singer had already politely declined taking one with someone else.
However, someone outside snapped a shot of the two speaking, and while Shaed wanted to respect the singer’s privacy in the store, he also wanted to share the experience of Styles being in their space with others when he was gone.
A SAY Doughnuts Instagram post highlighted the visit in a casual way.
The brand wrote in its caption that it was “a busy week at SAY ❤️🔥” under a carousel of photos of drinks and doughnuts at the shop. The second photo showed Styles through a window, engaged in conversation.
Shaed also said that on Styles' third visit, a girl jumped up and tried to hug him while exclaiming, "it's Harry Styles!" and the singer seemed taken aback.
“There’s been people sitting in the shop all day, pretending to study, just hoping that he might come back in again,” Shaed said, which he said has been “strange” but “cool, I guess, in a way that people see it as a hotspot.”
Shaed clarified in an email that Styles has seemed "incredibly relaxed, open and friendly" when seen in the town, chatting with people and walking around with an energy that was "really positive."
He said he hopes that people stick with the shop and shared that the visits have created a “great energy” in the town.
He added that it’s like a “preview” of what it will be like “when more people care about” Bedford, since Universal Studios is developing a theme park there.
In an Instagram Story posted on May 7, the shop shared how the moment resembled the “vibes” that were sparked in the town of Bedford by Styles visiting.
“Bedford has genuinely had a bit of a moment this week and the vibes around town have been unreal,” the shop wrote over a photo of coffee cups. “We all know why 👀.”
“It’s been lovely seeing so many local independents getting the attention they deserve too. The whole place has just felt a bit more alive than usual,” the caption continued. “What we’re hoping is that the energy sticks — people keeping it local, supporting the independents that actually make the town what it is.”
The caption ended on a sassier note: “And honestly… I don’t think he’s getting his matcha from Starbucks 🤍🤍.”
“We love you all ❤️🔥❤️🔥,” the caption added.
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