Moray family took plunge into hospitality amid pandemic

The pandemic was not enough to stop one enterprising family from joining the hospitality sector in a coastal village in Moray.

It was last October when Sarah Morrison, her husband, Martin, son Ross and his partner, Katie, took the plunge at Admirals Inn, just a stone’s throw from the sea at Findochty.

They have since faced challenges in their first venture in hospitality, but Mrs Morrison has no doubts that hard work and dedication will see them make a success of the pub.

She said: “We are very happy with the business so far – custom has been steady in the bar and the restaurant. We would obviously like to see a busy summer.

“Having the inn has been a joy, as I meet so many lovely customers and really enjoy seeing them having a satisfying experience here.”

A quick look on the Tripadvisor website shows several recent five-star reviews for Admirals and its food, so Mrs Morrison and her co-directors must be doing plenty of things right.

There are strong family ties for the pub’s directors with Findochty, an attractive village whose roots go back several hundred years.

“My mother was born and grew up here,” Mrs Morrison said, adding: “When I was a youngster I spent many a weekend and holiday at the harbour area, and Katie was born in the village and grew up here.”

Hospitality has had a tough time of things due to Covid, but Mrs Morrison and her co-directors were not deterred from taking over Admirals.

She added: “We decided that, once the pandemic was under control, hospitality could only get better – and we all agreed we wanted to be part of that in Findochty.”

Running Admirals, which has 15 staff, is an “education”, as exciting as it is challenging, Mrs Morrison said.

“Our first year was always going to be an intense learning period, doing things like listening to the advice of regular and local customers.”

She admitted to being nervous about taking over the inn, but added: “We are not in the business to make money fast.

“It is going to be a long-term investment for us – hard work and dedication from us all will help make the business go forward successfully.”

The directors have had to face a variety of unexpected challenges.

Mrs Morrison added: “There have been many – from pouring the perfect pint to making sure the toilet doors lock, and also dealing with failed equipment.

“There have been challenges every day, and we address them all and make plans to try to eliminate them.”

As regards the future, Mrs Morrison said the directors wanted to modify and enhance the premises to make them even more appealing to customers.

Asked about any possible threats to the business, she said the rapid rise in the cost of living was affecting everyone.

She added: “Less people may decide to venture out this summer and there could also be fewer tourists around due to high fuel costs.

“This could potentially affect and delay our future plans for Admirals. We will monitor the situation closely.”

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