We have inevitably been asked a lot recently about our plans to reopen inside and I wanted to take a moment to give some transparency on what our ideas for doing this are. 

On the 26th April. the hospitality sector serving non-alcoholic drinks are allowed to open indoors to welcome 4 people from 2 different households to socialise. On the face of it this is brilliant news, however, our roadmap to normality looks slightly different.

We feel that the jump from serving from a hatch in our doorway with screens to welcoming up to 24 people into our cafe overnight is a bit of a challenge. Running a business and working a job is a skillset just like any of your favourite hobbies. It regular practice to ensure you can do it well. Not only do we want to give ourselves the chance to relearn how we can be our best, but we want to give your staff the same opportunities that everyone is excited about. 

Hospitality have been pretty unsung heroes through the whole of the lockdown and pandemic. The industry has adapted so well to the changes asked of them, and my view is that the staff within it have been resolute in their ambition to keep the wheels in motion, not just within Cairngorm Coffee, but across the number of small independent business (and bigger ones) that have been trying to keep above the water and secure jobs.

I really just want the Cairngorm team to go out now, have a pint with their mates too and have some fun. If there favourite pub, or their favourite shop isn't open because they too don't feel quite ready to reopen as the pace suggested, then I completely respect that. 

I'm not trying to be a downer because I'm so excited about getting the shop back on track, but we're just going to do this at a slightly more leisurely pace so that we don't slip up. From a personal point of view, I want our team to feel happy and crucially we collectively want to represent this business to the best of our ability.

So what is the plan? Just like the Scottish Government, we have our own staged approach outlined below. I want to thank you in advance for respecting our decision making, and apologise if you had plans to visit us inside that week. Sadly, this is all in reference to Melville Place. Frederick St will remain closed for now but we hope to be back soon. We genuinely cannot wait for the summer to kick off and want to thank you again for your patience and support so far in 2021.