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Hay’s Dock Cafe Restaurant closes


Muckle Oxters
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I'm not surprised by this at all. The restaurant was heavily subsidised by the Amenity Trust, Salaries when it opened were in line with a big city restaurant. They had a set number of covers each night and they wouldn't take walk ins even when table were empty.

 

The news says 5 redundancies. I wonder how may of the waiting staff were on zero hours contract.

 

You can find a recent set of accounts, including a profit and loss account here.

 

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I'm not surprised by this at all. The restaurant was heavily subsidised by the Amenity Trust, Salaries when it opened were in line with a big city restaurant. They had a set number of covers each night and they wouldn't take walk ins even when table were empty.

 

Great way to run a business (NOT)

 

Reads like a classic case of "the tail wagging the dog".

 

Great shame for those that are, suddenly, out of a job. 

 

I was told that the staff knew nothing of the closure until 5pm Friday.  Is this correct ?  If so, what an appalling way to treat them.  Mushrooms... Kept in the dark and fed on bullsh*t !

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We were in for a meal over the summer and the service was a shambles so I’m not surprised about this.

 

I’ve thought for a while that the number of places to eat in Lerwick just can’t be sustainable. I also think that this place didn’t really know what it was - a cafe or a fine dining restaurant - and offered too much for a cafe but didn’t hit the same standard that the likes of the Scalloway Hotel does for restaurant food.

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Too many places ?

Could someone point me to the cheap places !

Or are there no cheap places ?


> Salaries when it opened were in line with a big city restaurant.

I had imagined minimumn wage levels !

Perhaps with profit share to boost wages and encourage profitable behaviours..


> They had a set number of covers each night and they wouldn't take walk ins even when table were empty.

An example of not-profit behaviour..

Sadly evolution and natural selection in practice, which could have been avoided by reading some good how to run a business books, and/or just asking Joe Public what they want :-)

As a member of Joe Public, I want cheap affordable food, like fish N chips for £5, a burger and chips for £3, or just a really good cheese burger for £2, can I get any of those here, or are they double the price for some reason ? (What is that reason!)

 

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As a member of Joe Public, I want cheap affordable food, like fish N chips for £5, a burger and chips for £3, or just a really good cheese burger for £2, can I get any of those here, or are they double the price for some reason ? (What is that reason!)

There's only one or two places that will charge you a fiver for fish and chips. Tesco or the Co-op :cool:

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Cannot beat home cooking but the occasional meal out is good,unfortunately the prices are extortionate in many of the "eateries" here in Shetland.

 

When down south I find the prices more acceptable my choice usually a Weatherspoon but a Toby's is also hard to beat..

 

Tend to agree with most that we have to many cafes and restaurants,the old proverb comes to mind "To many cooks spoil the broth" 

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I have a close relative that used to work there and, boy can the "relative" tell some horror stories.  Managers interfering, Menus decided at "meetings", even the colour of chalk used on menu boards and more stuff like that. 

 

Not so much a business as a "camel".  A horse designed by a committee of amateurs.

 

HERESAY ON

The "relative" has also suggested that it is "political" and that Hay's Dock has been "sacrificed" in order to boost the cafe at Mareel.  Ho Hum !

HERESAY OFF

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^ It was said when Mareel was being built that two eateries virtually side by side wouldn't be sustainable......

 

Especially not when there's another up to three within shouting distance on Commercial Road, and more within easy walking distance.

 

I guess not enough SIC Execs made it their lunchtime watering hole of choice, for they're about the only ones within cry raek of pulling in enough to afford the prices.....

 

Ivan will be delighted though, I'm sure.

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