First things first, it’s pronounced “batch”.
The Bach, located on Meadowside, has been serving up New Zealand-inspired dishes in the city since 2016.
Originally situated in the Old Flower Mill on Exchange Street, owners Wendy and Steven did a midnight flit to their current premises in 2018, and have not looked back since.
The pair are originally from the Kiwi capital Wellington, and have given-up corporate jobs to follow their passion for food and drink.
Like most independent venues, they currently are surfing the wave of uncertainty brought about by ever-rising energy bills, insurance, VAT and the cost-of-living crisis.
But the pair’s passion for running a popular, well-loved restaurant enjoyed by people the country over helps in more ways than one, Steven says.
And with the Aotearoa attitude of “running on the smell of an oily rag”, the owners hope to weather the current climate and continue operating for a long time to come.
Costs going up
Steven explains the difficulties faced not just by his business, but most smaller independent retailers and restaurant owners right now.
When asked if the industry is being decimated by a “death from 1,000 cuts”, he said: “It’s certainly what it feels like at the moment and I think with places shutting down and the never-ending list of empty premises, it doesn’t help the general feeling.
“However, while it is tough going, we need to be flexible and adapt – these are just the new costs of doing business.
“But don’t get me wrong, there are going to be some things people just cannot handle, such as the 2022 quadrupling of energy prices which looks like profiteering as the financial results of the energy firms are now showing.”
The Bach Dundee and the smell of an oily rag
When the eatery moved to its current home on Meadowside, the owners employed good-old fashioned elbow grease and the help of their loyal friends, closing the old shop on Friday and opening the following week.
Kiwis and Aussies use a term not quite familiar (yet) in Scotland; “running on the smell of an oily rag”.
Loosely translated, it means operating with as little expense as possible (think turning over an engine on petrol fumes alone).
Steven points out the key for his business will be to continue to adapt, and remain passionate, about what they do.
“I think the key for us really has been running it on the ‘smell of an oily rag’, but also doing our best to be proud of, and relentless in, what we serve,” he says.
“We don’t always get it right, but most of the time I think we do.
“And, like now, we need to adapt to those new economic conditions and remember ‘why we do what we do’ and use that as the basis for our approach to it all.
“If we only look at the short-term, the current economic pressures — which are felt by everyone, not just us — we could quite easily get into a very negative cycle leading to more independent places shuttering and the homogenisation of what’s offered.
“That’s a lose-lose.
“There are loads of great people that work in hospitality and loads of great independent places to try across Scotland.
“We need to celebrate the diversity and just enjoy it all.”
Dundee Matters
The Courier recently launched an initiative called Dundee Matters, which aims to find solutions to the city’s problems.
We will be hosting a summit at our city centre office in May, where a panel will explore issues facing our high streets at an event full of people invested in the future of Dundee.
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