The Carron Restaurant presents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a well-known restaurant and whisky sales establishment. Ideally located in the stunning area of Lochcarron, the location is a walker’s paradise that attracts clients from around the world. This leased property includes spacious owner's living quarters upstairs, great external seating, as well as a spacious internal restaurant. The relaxed restaurant and soft seating lounge comfortably seat around 40 and 6 covers, respectively, with another 42 covers available outside, on and around the decking area.
The current owners purchased the business in 2015, and throughout their tenure, they have built an outstanding reputation with well-earned 4.5-star reviews and ratings for their exceptional food, hospitality, and attention to detail. The Carron Restaurant currently trades 6 days per week, offering a menu that highlights good-quality locally sourced produce.
TRADE
Due to its reputation, quality, and location, the Carron Restaurant enjoys healthy bookings throughout the season. Customers can find the business through its own website along with other platforms such as TripAdvisor, where it has earned a desirable 4.5 rating. The business currently trades throughout the year and is open 6 days a week, being closed on Thursdays. The operating hours vary to suit the owners' needs. During the tourist season, the business benefits from regular bus tours (3 or 4 days a week), arriving at 10am for morning coffee, where shortbread is the order of the day!
The business is managed by a husband-and-wife team who undertake the roles of front-of-house and chef. Temporary staff are employed on an ad hoc basis throughout the year.
The retail part of the business involves the ‘Whisky Experience’. The owners have a great knowledge of the subject and are whisky ambassadors. They are able to not only sell a wide variety of whisky but also undertake guided tasting sessions where they impart their considerable knowledge of whisky to customers. This represents a lucrative additional income stream for the core business.
PROPERTY
The original part of the property is traditional, with a freshly painted, rough-cast render and slate roof. The windows are white PVC double-glazed units which were replaced around 6 years ago. All exposed timber soffits and roof facias are black painted. The overall impression is fresh and clean.
The extension was added around 6 years ago and compliments the original build with a slate roof and by using similar windows. The walls are finished with an appealing vertical overlapped timber detail.
CARRON RESTAURANT
The Carron Restaurant is located on the ground floor of the building, ideally set well back from passing traffic. The restaurant offers a number of different seating areas. The charming main area is set with individual tables and chairs. This, together with the retail area, the soft lounge area and the decking area on the front of the building, offer different customer seating options.
The customer entrance into the Carron Restaurant is via the front door, which benefits from a low, accessible ramp. The customers then enter into the modern and comfortable lounge area. This area is tastefully decorated and has a lovely ambience. It is equipped with 3 double-seater leather sofas and coffee table set around a cosy modern wood-burning stove. This part of the building really enhances the overall property and was built by the current tenants a few years ago. To the left is the main restaurant and retail area. The retail area is mainly focused on whisky. The vendor has an interest in this product and finds that tourists are often looking to purchase, hence making this a profitable part of the overall setup.
The restaurant area is set up to accommodate 40 covers and the lovely external deck area is set with 5 six-seater picnic bench seats. To the side are 2 further picnic benches set on the gravel.
SERVICE AREAS
The property benefits from a well-equipped kitchen located to the rear of the property, which facilitates ease of food preparation and service. The servery is between the kitchen and the customer-seated area. The servery is ideally set with plenty of surfaces and storage. There is a good level of storage throughout, including fridges, freezers, and dry stores. The premises benefits from an external storeroom, which houses dry goods, fruit and vegetable storage, laundry and additional fridges and freezers. The service facilities work extremely well for the scale of the operation.
To one side of the restaurant lie the well-decorated customer toilets. One of the toilets is more spacious than the other, providing good facilities for the less mobile.
GROUNDS
The Carron Restaurant benefits from a sizable and well-maintained garden area to the side of the restaurant, which is mostly laid to grass with some attractive trees and shrubs. To the front of the building lies the spacious decking area and customer car parking, which is large enough to accommodate coaches. To the south of the restaurant lies Carron Pottery, which has it’s own car park which is loosely separated from the restaurant’s. The current arrangement is a loose one, allowing both businesses to benefit from the extensive car parking as required.
To the rear of the building lie the private grounds. There are various outbuildings, including a large store and a heated gazebo dining hut. Private parking is available to the side of the restaurant. This area also allows deliveries to be taken straight into the kitchen or the external store.
SERVICES
The property benefits from mains electricity, water and drainage. LPG is used for cooking in the restaurant kitchen. Solid-fuel fires are located in the soft seating area of the restaurant and the living area of the house. The Carron Restaurant is compliant with electrical and fire regulations. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property.
DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL
The following list highlights some potential development opportunities which new owners may wish to consider. The list is not comprehensive, but indicates some potential areas for development.
• Increase operating hours to include breakfast provision or dinner more days per week
• Subject to planning consents, extend covered seating provision out