Alford’s popular bacon cafe The Soo’s Lug has gone up for sale just two years after opening.
The cafe opened its doors in Alford’s Main Street in September 2021, just after lockdown.
But the challenging circumstances never stopped Mark Reynolds, owner of Piggery Smokery, an award-winning local bacon firm, starting his small cafe.
Only open three days a week, the 10-seat establishment won the hearts and palates of not just locals, but also bacon lovers from all across the UK.
“I refurbished the place during covid and after lockdown we decided to just go for it, and we had the best response possible with so many customers that we were blown away.
“We were phenomenally busy pretty much all the time,” Mark Reynolds told The Press and Journal.
He continued: “We had people coming from all over the country. Some people staying in Inverness diverted their holidays just to come to the cafe.
“One day we had two Edinburgh chefs with two Michelin stars that had heard about the taste of our bacon.”
Mark explains that The Soo’s Lug became a ‘destination’ in itself.
“It was really impressive considering that people from all around the UK were coming to a 10-seat cafe that was in the middle of nowhere.”
Sadly closing down
However, due to family circumstances, the 58-year-old has been forced to close his tiny, yet incredibly popular cafe.
His wife, Susan, an expert baker who played a key role in the business, is recovering from an operation and, after some consideration, they have decided to sell The Soo’s Lug to have “time” for themselves.
The closing announcement of the cafe has truly saddened Alford’s community, as the Facebook post revealing the news had over 100 reactions.
Several locals said they were “gutted” as they all “loved” the wee place, which had really made an impact on the village.
Mark told the P&J he wants to say, “thank you” to all the people who have supported The Soo’s Lug.
“We developed a lot of friendships, and the response was phenomenal, with so many people emailing to say how sad they were and asking how Su was doing.”
A business opportunity
The sale of The Soo’s Lug leaves an empty space in the community, but also creates a fantastic business opportunity for brave entrepreneurs.
“We are selling the cafe with all the equipment. Last year we had a £95,000 turnover over the till opening just three days a week, so I think it is a really good opportunity.
“My prime motivation is that whoever takes the shop has a passion that will help keep Alford’s Main Street alive. It is very important to have small, independent shops so we have a diversity of choice.”
Mark believes that the most important quality for someone wanting to start a business is “passion”.
“You can be individual, you can open something you are passionate about, and it can be successful with some application I had no rules, I just opened a cafe that I thought I would like to go to,” he concluded.
