Sally Adam – the owner of Sally’s cafe in Portlethen – has revealed the business will be expanding as its new food trailer prepares to hit the road.
The 46-year-old and her partner Mike purchased Sally’s a matter of weeks before the pandemic struck in January 2020 and opened its doors on Monday March 2.
Surviving multiple lockdowns and ongoing economic challenges, the cafe has proved increasingly popular resulting in the owners requiring more space.
And this is where the idea of purchasing a food trailer, named Sally’s Coffee & Cakes, stemmed from.
Fully operational by summer
Sally’s, located on Barclayhill Place, offers freshly-prepared food including paninis and baguettes as well as burgers, chicken fillets, and scampi.
It also stocks Caber Coffee, Shorty’s of Ballater ice cream, and homemade cakes. And the team comprises Sally and Mike along with seven part-time members.
“There’s a tiny kitchen area in the cafe and as it has been getting busier and busier, I have been struggling to get the baking done,” says Sally from Echt.
“We decided to look for other premises to bake from but with the current economic climate, we decided it was just too expensive.
“We had the idea of baking from a food trailer, which then developed into also selling cakes and coffee from it.”
The couple purchased the former ice cream trailer in October. However, due to the popularity of Sally’s, they didn’t have time to start renovations until after the new year.
Sally added: “All the work is now done, we just need to get all the equipment in.
“We are currently in the process of finding a permanent spot for the trailer (this is taking longer than anticipated), then we need the appropriate license/permission, so this is likely to be around summertime.
“We have just got our pass from environmental health, so we are good to go for events now and will focus on them this summer.”
Sally’s Coffee & Cakes
Because the pair will be responsible for the cafe as well as Sally’s Coffee & Cakes, the trailer’s initial opening hours will be from 10am to 3pm Thursday to Sunday. There is the potential to extend these.
Customers can expect a range of homemade cakes and traybakes on the menu, all of which will be made in the trailer itself.
Honeycomb brownies, fudge slices, raspberry and coconut tarts, and brownies are among the bakes that Sally’s in Portlethen has offered in the past.
There will also be coffee by Caber Coffee, teas, and soft drinks.
Sally has worked in several food and drink establishments since she was a teenager, including the Garlogie Inn, The Pavilion Cafe, and Dobbies.
In 2005, she launched her own bakery business supplying 15 local shops and cafes with cakes, traybakes, and celebration cakes.
The cafe owner is looking forward to getting the trailer on the road.
“We will start with myself and Mike running the trailer but as it hopefully gets busier, we will look into employing someone to work in it,” she said.
“Although the trailer isn’t big, I will have more space for baking without getting in anyone’s way! I hope to extend the range of cakes that we currently offer too.”
Conversation