After just two months in their previous venue at Stewart’s Resort located in St Andrews, The Miller Concept Restaurant is now on the hunt for a new home.
The third business in the Miller Coffee and Miller Coffee Cabin empire, the restaurant, which was formerly based at the resort, has decided to find a new home which is ideally in the centre of the tourist town.
Local barbecue firm The Smoked Thistle have recently opened their new restaurant in the firm’s former space at the resort.
Launching Miller Coffee in 2019 with his wife Alison, Michael Miller, 33, came up with the idea when the businessman and his father – also Michael – tried what they describe as “an awful cup of coffee” and decided they could do better.
The couple have grown the online firm and added takeaway joint Miller Coffee Cabin at Nydie Camp Site near Strathkinness to their portfolio last April. They also launched their second venue at the resort in November 2021 serving up seafood, burgers, steaks and signature desserts.
After the firm “really took off” in 2020 with sales online, as well as supplying multiple retailers across the UK including 11 Michelin star restaurants, Michael decided to step into the hospitality sector by launching his first premises.
Love and passion for the business
Following their success the couple decided to open The Miller Concept Restaurant at the resort, however after just two months, they have had to relocate and find a more suitable home for the eatery.
Speaking with Michael Miller he said: “The new venue is something that my wife and I were considering anyway.
“We would really like to have the restaurant based in the heart of St Andrews, rather than outwith. We’ve realised that being in the town would be much more beneficial for our business in becoming more widely known.
“Ideally, somewhere like a pub or within an already established venue would work really well for us. We’re really keen to make this happen and hope that something comes up soon so that we can get back in the kitchen and get back to serving customers again.
“We have been offered a few places, but we aren’t going ahead with any as of yet.”
Michael hopes to offer the same premium level of food as he previously has in his other ventures, with Miller Coffee being the backbone of his business.
Michael explained it is his “love and passion” that have driven him to work full-time at Miller Coffee, with his wife helping him alongside her own full-time job.
The pandemic was a blessing
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Michael expressed that lockdown was a “blessing” for them due to the increase in customers purchasing goods online.
He added: “We sold more coffee online than anywhere else. We’ve come such a long way in such a short period of time.”
Michael intends to stay within the St Andrews area, and hopes that the new venue will suit the needs of the expanding business.
His aim is to re-establish The Miller Concept Restaurant and serve up a range of delicious dishes similar to what they had initially had on offer.
