Owners retain 18 staff throughout the summer by turning their restaurant into an al fresco experience.
Adapting to survive the coronavirus pandemic has been something many business owners have found themselves having to do.
And one Moray couple has managed to keep all 18 of their staff in employment since June after opening an outdoor kitchen, Bootlegger’s Bothy, and attracting thousands to the Hopeman venue throughout the summer.
Having been forced to close The Bothy Bistro in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and the country going into lockdown, the husband and wife team knew they had to adapt their outdoor area to survive.
Doing so resulted in no less than 5,000 customers in its first fortnight of opening in May, with the venue becoming a social media sensation attracting people from far and wide traveling, when allowed, to get a taste of the fresh, local produce.
After turning two shipping containers into a kitchen space, the Covid-19 compliant outdoor kitchen was based at Hopeman’s West Beach Caravan Park and was a lifeline not only for the staff, but for local suppliers, too.
Diversifying
Barry said: “It took us three weeks to pull the containers together initially. We couldn’t get our hands on the materials quick enough.
“Bootlegger’s was ready to open in May, but we waited until the government announced people could have picnics in parks before we actually opened.
“When Boris told the public to avoid restaurants we soldiered on at The Bothy Bistro, which we opened in 2011, for a few days but it was awful. Last year we had the double decker bus and a kitchen unit at the caravan park so we’ve really adapted the space. We’d ordered all our food in for Mother’s Day and we knew we needed to try to use it up. We closed the Bothy and cooked on open fires over at Bootlegger’s instead.
“We were only offering takeaway and when the country went into full-on lockdown we shut everything down and furloughed all the staff. Some came back in May and by June, everyone was working at Bootlegger’s.”
Keeping it in the community
Operating from Wednesday to Sunday, staff went from being on furlough to being busier than ever at Bootlegger’s. And with so many customers looking to get a bite of the action, Ruth says their suppliers were also kept busy in providing produce, too.
She said: “It was all about diversifying. We operated differently and at a different venue but our staff were just so grateful to be working, and we were so grateful for them.
“We were really focusing on using our local suppliers and because we were busy, they were then busy. Twice we ran out of food and we couldn’t quite believe it. We ended up putting in a cold room in a container and had to expand to ensure we had enough food on-site.
“We must have had thousands of people turn up over the whole of the summer which was just incredible, we will be forever grateful for the support we received.
“The locals have been amazing and so supportive. We had all of the right practices in place and it was a really safe space. We had so much room at Bootlegger’s and everyone loved it. The Bothy Bistro itself has always been popular and now we have a much younger crowd wanting to come because of Bootlegger’s.”
Reopening The Bothy Bistro
Usually open to a capacity of 70 diners, the Bothy, which is based in Burghead, has had a makeover, now reducing its capacity to 45 covers in total to comply with government guidelines.
While the eatery has always proven popular with locals, Ruth says due to Bootlegger’s success, a new crowd of individuals are keen to try out their offering, meaning they have been fully booked most nights since reopening.
Open five days a week from Wednesday to Sunday, and Thursday to Sunday nights, Ruth and Barry have taken every measure to ensure staff and customers are safe at all times.
See inside: The Bothy Bistro’s new look..
“We have every box ticked to ensure we keep everyone safe in our restaurant. We weren’t big fans of the Perspex sheets so we had to come up with a way to divide the space. We’ve lost about a third of capacity and have used room dividers which look fab. I got old painters ladders and shelves to give it a homely feel and we’ve got booths now, too, so it’s more cosy,” said Ruth.
“We use ResDiary for all of our bookings and have Track and Trace attached to that. We have someone working on the door at all times to ensure everyone is greeted and knows exactly what our rules are in the venue before entering.
“Now we’re also offering some more small plates and we’ve taken over the Bootlegger favourites which are served a bit differently and not in a cardboard box. It is so nice not eating out of a carboard box!
“The Hopeman lobster sub was hugely popular so it has made its way onto the menu, as did the squid, Bootlegger burger, the scallops and a few others. We’re also running a Bootlegger takeaway at the Bothy and there’s around 12 dishes on that menu which customers can come pick up. This ticks all the boxes for those who still want to eat good food but aren’t ready to eat in a restaurant yet. We have an amazing roast we did at Bootlegger’s so we’ve taken that over as well.
Continuously adapting
Moving back indoors hasn’t stopped the couple from continuing to adapt their sites. With the grill proving hugely successful, Barry insisted barbecues were installed and the bakery, which was built at Bootlegger’s, has also made its way to the restaurant, too.
Barry said: “We’ve changed the kitchen so we have open fire barbecues now so they can keep some of the grilled stuff going from the Bootlegger’s menu. We have also added a bakery at the back so we can make even more bread. We’ve always made our own, but we’re doing more now.
“I’d love to see Bootlegger’s open next year again. We know how lucky we are because we had that outdoor space and we could adapt. We kept 18 people in full-time employment and these people have young families, parents who couldn’t work because of Covid-19, and we helped keep our supply chain moving during one of the most challenging times. We are so fortunate to have been able to do what we have done.”
Ruth, too, is happy to be back open indoors and is delighted to see staff back in “their home”.
She added: “It is so nice to be back open. I was a bit nervous to reopen but I think Barry would love it if it was a bit warmer so we could continue to have Bootlegger’s open. The views from the site are just incredible. We tried to stay open outside as long as possible, but the weather turned so we’ve had to come inside.
“The team have been absolutely amazing and have bust a gut all summer happily. It just feels like we’re home.”
