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Established licenced cafe and Pizzeria business set in the heart of Pitlochry.
Well maintained premises with an enviable reputation.
Ideal trading location with a net internal area of around 105m² and external customer area of around 150m2.
Benefits from the proximity to Escape Route bike shop.
Turnover in excess of £300k per annum.
Leasehold
Pitlochry is set in the heart of rural Perthshire and remains one of Scotland’s most popular year round holiday destinations. The region is world-renowned for its access to outdoor activities, from walking, bike trails, white water rafting to kayaking to name but a few. Pitlochry is surrounded by spectacular scenery and is an ideal base for touring throughout the region to include Edinburgh, St Andrews, Loch Ness, Inverness, Braemar and Royal Deeside. Whether golf, castles, whisky trails, wildlife, fishing or just the enjoyment of stunning scenery is the penchant for the visitor, Pitlochry is a superb location from which to base an all-encompassing holiday.
The town itself is a thriving community benefiting from a host of retail outlets and recreational or tourist attractions. Pitlochry Festival Theatre offers a varied and exciting variety of events year-round drawing in many visitors to the area. Events like the Etape Caledonia in Pitlochry, and the Atholl Highlanders event swells visitor numbers in the spring, and the hugely popular Enchanted Forest brings in 80,000 visitors over the autumn period. The summer months see the Blair Castle International Horse Trials, bringing in some 30,000 people a day over this 4-day event, and The Highland Games in Pitlochry also attracts visitors to the town. Winter activity remains buoyant and the New Year’s Day Street party brings thousands of visitors over the Hogmanay period. Indeed, Pitlochry is a focal point for many activities which can be reviewed at www.pitlochry.org. There are two distilleries within walking distance of the business.
The town is served by a main line railway station providing easy access to Inverness to the north and Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh to the south. Pitlochry has schooling from nursery right through to 4th year of high school which is a short walk from the Cafe. S5 and S6 schooling is provided at Breadlabane Academy in Aberfeldy a 20 minute drive away. St Ninians Episcopal School Perth is also an option if desired.
Description
The Cafe element of Escape Route only is a well-respected and profitable business set within the popular community of Pitlochry. Located within the heart of the community, this is an extremely popular Café with large seating areas, both internal and al fresco. The business enjoys a high level of repeat business from locals and tourists.
The sale of The Cafe element of Escape Route only offers a rare opportunity to purchase an extremely popular and well-established business which benefits from the potential for further business development.
Trade
Trade is derived from a high quality traditional cafe menu, bar and Pizzeria. In 2019 the proprietors upgraded the Pizza offering by installing an authentic pizza oven in a container which extended and improved the cafes offering. The business enjoys an excellent reputation. It is fully equipped with high quality deep fat fryers, microwave ovens and 6 burner range with over under, all with an exhaust hood over. The business has a modern EPOS and ‘Food Ready’ calling system, which maximises efficiency, facilitating the effective turnaround of customers. The well-designed separate preparation and kitchen areas offer ample working surfaces and include a number of fridges and freezers and dry storage areas. The entire premises are well kept and beautifully clean throughout.
The establishment currently trades and generates a turnover in excess of £300k per annum. The current business hours are 7 days per week and from 9am until 3pm.
There is undoubtedly scope to increase business further by opening through the winter and opening for longer hours during the current season. It may be possible to develop an evening meal and / or takeaway option in the evening. The establishment has a reassuring underlying recurring business as a result of the support of local residents, which could be extended throughout the year.
The proprietors trade with the support of an extremely reliable small team of local staff, who are each contracted for a variety of hours per week. Due to the owner’s desire to limit their time within the business they have kept the menu simple and increased staffing levels to facilitate this. New proprietors would be able to adjust this approach to suit their own work goals.
Though the business is part of Escape Route Ltd. The trading name “Escape Route Café” will not be included in the sale.
The property
The Cafe element of Escape Route is the current use of a well maintained building and compliments the Escape Route bike shop by offering thirsty and hungry shoppers an on-site option to satisfy that need. The current business owner has been at the helm for the last 8 years. The café has provided a successful business and enjoyable lifestyle.
The setup has evolved over the years, with the addition of the covered external seated area, the addition of the pizza container and addition of the external dry goods store. The building is of timber kit construction, with a rendered block external skin and flat tiled roof. The windows are double glazed throughout.
The proprietors have temporary building planning permission from the external canopies. It is expected that this can be renewed. Prospective buyers would need to satisfy themselves of this, if they have any concerns.
The landlord has indicated that they would be willing to accept a new tenant. The current lease expires in 2027. It is possible that a new mutually acceptable lease would be drawn up between the landlord and the prospective buyer.
Grounds
The business comes complete with a covered seating area to the front of the café. This area accommodates 5 picnic tables. There are also a further 4 picnic table equipped with umbrellas in the space between the covered are and the front of the Escape Route Shop. The owners of Escape route shop are content that the seating overlaps onto their ground area from time to time. There is local on street and car park parking to accommodate customers who travel by car. The access from the pavement is ideal given it is completely level entry into the café.
To the left had side of the external seated area, the current operate has a container which accommodates the pizza oven and prep area. This fitted out container is part of the sale.
There is a screened area where the dry goods store and bins are located, just outside the kitchen. There are plans showing how this area is laid out and can be obtained either from ASG Commercial Limited or from the Perth and Kinross Council web site under planning 22-00981-FLL.
Services
The property has mains electricity, LPG gas for cooking, mains water and mains drainage. There is a wood burning stove in the café. The business is licensed under the fire regulations.
Websites
Though the café is included on the Escape Route web site, this will not form part of the sale, it will be for the new owners to develop a web site. The current owners have their own active facebook page. They are listed on TripAdvisor with a rating of 4.5 and are listed on a number of other web sites.
Accounts
Full accounting information will be made available to interested parties subsequent to viewing.
Development opportunities
This sale presents opportunities to develop the current business such as:
• Food delivery service opportunity
• Increase daily trading times
• Consider a takeaway model later in the day
After 8 years, it is the current proprietors desire to focus on their existing Escape Route shop venture, which brings this excellent opportunity to the market.
