As hospitality venues begin to slowly reopen, Perth’s Cherrybank Inn has certainly caught customers’ eyes.
The popular Fair City venue now has a beautiful balcony and beer garden which thousands of customers have visited to enjoy food and refreshment.
Former St Johnstone player Scott Findlay is the man at the helm of the Cherrybank Inn which has seen a gradual progression since he took over the reins almost eight years ago.
A footballer for 13 years, Scott’s dad, Jack, had always been in the hospitality trade so the move was a natural step for him when he finished playing the sport.
“I started getting involved around 2013 when I finished playing football. I was playing with Dundee as a goalkeeper but injured my shoulder and had to get a big operation so that kind of forced the decision,” he said.
“It’s in my blood because we have had pubs in the family my entire life.”
Exciting
And the 37-year-old immediately saw the potential the Cherrybank Inn had and has built it into a venue for all ages.
“We started by gradually doing things. It was always a busy pub but I just thought there was scope to do more and there were about 400 houses getting built nearby, too. I wanted to progress the business alongside that as I knew we would have to be bigger for that.
“There were a few wee snugs in the bar that we knocked into one, there were more people coming in for the football on the TV so we extended the lounge and put a big balcony on.”
But as plans were progressing, the coronavirus pandemic arrived. However, Scott pointed out that this wasn’t going to see him resting on his laurels.
“Instead of sitting back and mumping and moaning, I just tried to be progressive and positive throughout lockdown. I really went for it. I thought ‘I have the time to do this so let’s kick on and do it,” Scott added.
“It’s difficult when you are open to build extensions, for instance, but there was an opportunity to do it. We built a big beer garden, we built a bar underneath, added some lighting and put an electronic roof system on the balcony which is brilliant for us.
“We can’t use it fully just now because of restrictions with airflow but that will be a really cool feature for us as it has sides.
“Come winter and whenever we are back to normal, it becomes a full outdoor area just by the push of a button, with heating and it also doubles our capacity. We love it!
“We really want to kick on and do as well as we can, not just for ourselves, but for our regulars and new customers. I have a brilliant group of staff and I wanted it to be a great place for everyone.”
Staying positive
Investing in his business when it was closed and with the pandemic restrictions extremely uncertain at times, Cherrybank Inn was a gamble for Scott, but it was a gamble he believed would pay off.
“It’s a pretty big investment, and we have also lost money during lockdown, too. We saw a downturn in the months before lockdown because people were nervous and rightly so,” he continued.
“It has been a terrible time with so many people losing their lives and it is totally new for everyone, a pandemic, in this lifetime.
“However, I have just tried to be progressive and positive because I knew we would come out the back end and I wanted to have a better business than when we went into it.
“If you are positive hopefully you will get your rewards at the end of it. You just have to get up and go for it.”
And his positivity has been rewarded by the customers’ reaction which Scott said has been: “Incredible, absolutely incredible!”.
“I have never known it busier. We are doing two-hour timeslots on our balcony because we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to have a drink and have food at the same time, but we also have the beer garden downstairs which is first-come, first-served.
“I am just trying to cater for everybody, so everyone can have a wee bit of normality back. It’s been crazy, we have had more than 5,000 bookings in the first two weeks.”
Scott has also managed to retain all of his staff members from almost 14 months ago when Covid-19 completely changed life as we know it.
“My main priority when we got locked down was making sure all of my staff kept their jobs – and that is what I have done as everyone has kept their job. I have a fantastic group of staff and my main priority was making sure they were all OK,” he said.
“I am not finished here yet, watch this space I have other plans for other parts of the building and I will possibly build another extension.
“From where it was as a reasonably sized pub it’s now double the size, but it’s a local pub and I want to keep it like that but a little bit quirky.”
Scotland v England fan zone
And some of those plans will involve turning his car park into a fan zone for the Scotland vs England game in the Euros – and if St Johnstone reach the Scottish Cup final.
“For the Scotland vs England game we are turning the car park into a massive fan zone. I have a 46-square metre screen going in at the top of the car park,” he revealed.
“Hospitality packages will be available on our balcony and the beer garden, along with socially-distanced tables of six, table service.
“I have been working with the council on this for a good few months now and that will be properly announced in the next few days. That will be great too because people aren’t going to get the opportunity to go to the game.
“Also, if St Johnstone get to the cup final we are going to turn the car park into a fan zone for that as well, as no one will get to the game.”
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