Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate

The first Bettys tea room was opened in Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire, by Frederick Belmont, a Swiss confectioner, in 1919.

Belmont arrived in England at King's Cross railway station and boarded a train to Bradford, as much through luck as judgement, for he spoke very limited English and could not recall the address (or even the city) to which he was supposed to be heading. In 1922, Belmont opened a bakery in Harrogate, which made it possible to open more tea rooms, including branches in Bradford, Leeds, and York (the latter, the largest branch, opened in 1937).

The origin of the Bettys name is unknown. As of 2025 the company's website suggests three possibilities: Betty Rose, grand-daughter of the company chairman, who interrupted the first board meeting carrying a toy tea-tray; Betty Lupton, a former manager of the Harrogate Spa; or Betty, a 1914 musical with a "rags-to-riches" story.

The merger with Taylors of Harrogate (founded in 1886) occurred in 1962. The Yorkshire Tea brand was launched in 1977.

In 1986, Bettys by Post was developed, initially as a mail-order company, but it later moved online. In 2001, Bettys opened a cookery school on the same site as their craft bakery, at Plumpton Park near Harrogate.

Bettys marked its 90th anniversary in 2009 with an afternoon tea of patisseries, fancies, and cakes from the past, served by waitresses dressed in period costumes.