Another step in the Disneyfication of York. Have you seen what they've done to Taylor's Tearooms in Stonegate (Evening Press, May 25)?

When I saw that Taylor's was closed for refurbishment I wondered how this little gem of a place could possibly be improved. For 22 years I have enjoyed passing through the wonderful smells of a genuine coffee merchant to reach the oasis of good food and good service upstairs.

When guiding friends and visitors around York I have always told them "Betty's is for tourists - go to Taylor's if you want to see where York people go".

And now it's re-opened, as a travesty of an overpriced fast-food outlet called Little Bettys.

Doesn't it ever penetrate the minds of marketing departments that something that is genuine is worth more than a fake?

Taylor's was real - a genuine York institution - and now it's been ruined to chase the tourist fast buck. The tragedy is that it will probably be a roaring success, but it will never see my custom again.

Richard Taylor,

Cromer Street,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.