The owners of a popular Fife restaurant have added stop-over apartments to the menu in a bid to boost post-pandemic trade.
Husband and wife Richard and Rebecca Hamilton, owners of the Bonnybank Inn pub and Mexican restaurant in Kennoway, say transformation of the upper floor of the well-known venue is about to get under way.
And with bold plans to tap into the lucrative Scottish staycation market, Richard anticipates the work will be completed in just three months.
Customers who became owners
Fife Council approved their application to refurbish the upper floor in May, creating two Mexican-themed apartments.
Despite work on the two boutique-style properties yet to start, the project has already caught the public eye.
The couple have already taken bookings as well as a number of enquiries for availability.
The publicans purchased the village bar and eatery for £460,000 in December 2019.
It was a bold move for the local couple as they took their first steps into the licensed trade.
Lockdown uncertainty
The venue, which has become renowned for specialising in Mexican cuisine, had been owned for the previous 10 years by former Kettlebridge Inn owners Paul and Sue Pinkney.
However, their dreams nearly crumbled before their eyes with the arrival of coronavirus and the lockdown that followed.
Richard, 35, admits it was a scary time wondering if the pandemic would thwart the couple’s plans but said there was nothing they could do other than to try to ride out the lockdown.
“I have to admit there were times, especially because of the uncertainty during lockdown, that we’d have to throw in the towel,” said Richard.
“Getting hit with a lockdown just months after making the biggest commitment of our lives was pretty horrendous.”
Long-term investment
He added: “At times it just felt like we were under siege.
“But as our desire to own and run the business was always a long-term investment, it was a case of digging our heels in and taking whatever was thrown at us.”
However, Richard said a further “substantial investment” in transforming the upper floor of the property came sooner than initially planned.
“We decided to use the closure during the lockdown to the best of ability and looked at ways of further strengthening the business for future,” he said.
“With the huge growth in the staycation and Scottish holiday market that has come out of the pandemic, it’s something we think we can build upon.
“Fife is a fantastic tourist destination and the creation of two Mexican-themed apartments above the restaurant will tap into that.
“The Open Golf Tournament comes to St Andrews in 2022, just a short distance away, which opens up possibilities too.”
Boom in staycation holidays
The couple, from Freuchie in Fife, first fell in love with the restaurant as customers before later jumping at the opportunity to own it for themselves.
They say the hard work during the pandemic is already paying off.
“Since we’ve been able to open up once again business is booming,” said Richard.
“Booking are 40% up on what we predicted them to be as we look get back on track, which convinces me that we were right to stick with it.
“We now want to go further and the creation of the apartments, which will soon be available is just one way we can do that.”
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