Hospitality business owners across Scotland have shortened their working weeks and cut their opening hours significantly as a result of the pandemic.
With certain days of the week seeing less footfall through the doors of cafes and restaurants, many decided to pivot from operating seven days a week to six, and some even five.
The move has proven beneficial in a number of ways, with “standards always being met” due to increased staff morale, among other things.
I caught up with Hannah Slater and Joe Evans, owners of Inverness’ Anchor Cafe, and the director of Watermelon Catering, Martin McAuley, to find out what drove them to cut their opening times.
Born in the pandemic
Hannah, 31, and Joe, 44, opened Anchor Cafe in December 2020 with the aim of creating a brunch menu that would appeal to them and that was affordable.
It features everything from soups, filled rolls, and grilled sandwiches and paninis to home bakes, and the offering is “constantly evolving”.
The couple, met while working together as chefs in Glasgow and have lived in Drumnadrochit since 2017.
Anchor Cafe has two dining areas and a large garden space boasting a capacity of 28, and three additional members of full and part-time staff.
Hannah and Joe decided to close the eatery on Mondays at the start of this year, and said this shorter working week will remain “at least until the end of February”.
The current opening hours are 10.30am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday and 11am to 4pm on Saturdays.
“Monday’s hadn’t been too busy since the end of summer last year,” Joe added.
“We’ve had to learn to adapt and learn as we go on.
“So we took the opportunity to give ourselves a bit of extra time off and get some of the maintenance jobs, cooking and baking done that just aren’t possible while being open six days a week.”
Shorter working week a positive for diners
While closed to the public, Hannah and Joe do work on Mondays, on occasion.
This allows them time to set up for the week ahead and prepare what specials to offer diners, something they wouldn’t have had the option to do beforehand.
Hannah said: “It ensures we have more choices for our customers during the rest of the week.
“We are lucky to have a wide range of regular, loyal customers that have chosen to keep visiting us even during the toughest moments of the last year and for that, we are very thankful.”
‘Initially, it was to test the water’
Martin, 34, owns five eateries in Aberdeen under his brand Watermelon Catering, which launched in 2016.
These include:
- Corner Tree Cafe, opening May 2016
- Forest Cafe, opening December 2016
- The Pier, opening March 2016
- Bridge House Cafe, opening October 2018
- Cafe Ahoy, opening April 2019
Between full and part-time staff, Martin currently employs around 70 people.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the brand expanded and adapted massively to provide afternoon and graze box deliveries, which are still in production today.
Another change made during the pandemic, after the first lockdown, was cutting the hours of three of the cafes – Cafe Ahoy, Bridge House Cafe and Forest Cafe. They are now open five days a week.
Cafe Ahoy is open 8.30am to 3.30pm Wednesday to Sunday, Forest Cafe is open 10am to 4.30pm Wednesday to Sunday, and Bridge House Cafe is open 10am to 4.30pm Thursday to Monday.
Martin, from Old Aberdeen, said: “Both myself and the management teams decided to make these changes for the three venues.
“Initially, it was to test the water to see how busy the venues would operate upon reopening after lockdown and if they were ever viable to go back up to seven days.
“We were unsure at that time how comfortable people were going to be going back into cafe’s restaurants with everything that was going on with the virus.”
Has it made much difference?
The changes to the working week have remained in place to date, and each venue “has benefited in the same way”, added Martin.
“As we are operating five days a week, it means that we always have our core team on, so our standards are always being met.
“We have also found that staff knowing they have set days off with no possibility of being ‘called in’ provides a much better work-life balance, which is something we strive to provide across our venues.
“We also benefit from having multiple venues, so staff members who maybe would have looked for extra hours but can’t because of the two-day closures, are picking these up in our other venues that are open.
As we are operating five days a week, it means that we always have our core team on, so our standards are always being met.”
Martin McAuley.
“They are also then gaining experience in different settings which is hugely valuable for us and them.”
While the business owner appreciates there is a cost vs lost income argument, he says the changes have been worth it and continue to work.
Customer feedback has been mixed, but mainly positive.
He said: “Across the venues, the first day back open each week seems to be busy with customers happy that we are back open.
“The majority of customers do understand why we are closed the two days.
“We also have the benefit that two of our venues are open seven days, so a lot of our regulars will visit one of our other cafes which we are very grateful for.
“One of these venues is Corner Tree Cafe.
“We recently acquired the retail unit next door and are in the middle of creating some exciting plans to lodge with the hope of extending the cafe slightly to incorporate a new Afternoon Tea Room.”