The owner of an Aberdeenshire Thai restaurant and takeaway says a lack of customers is “crippling” his business.
David Sim and his wife Mai opened Mai Thai in Oldmeldrum seven months ago.
The pair invested nearly £50,000 to get the business up and running.
But both are now working more than 40 hours a week unpaid to keep Mai Thai afloat.
David has warned the restaurant, in Colpy Business Park, needs people to start using it or risk closure.
The 46-year-old said: “When we first opened it was really good, but it’s gone quiet now.
“The excitement has worn off and we are not as busy.
“The takeaways and deliveries are steady enough but we need people to use the restaurant.
“On Friday night there wasn’t a single customer so that was pretty bad.
“We need people to be supporting small local businesses to stay open.”
Keeping costs down a challenge
David works full-time as a workshop supervisor at C&M McDonald in Kintore and spends his evenings making deliveries, while Mai works full-time at Mai Thai.
The dad-of-two said: “It’s actually crippling us. I’m working 40 hours at the restaurant unpaid just to make it sustainable.
“While Mai can sometimes work 90 hours a week. She hasn’t been paid for around six weeks, and what she should’ve been paid we are having to invest and put back in to the business.
“I’m out doing deliveries four days a week and working weekends to try to keep the business afloat.
“We are doing everything we can to cut costs and keep them down.”
Call to the community to use Mai Thai
But with rising prices for ingredients, it’s not been easy.
David said: “We noticed big price increases with lots of ingredients, especially the vegetables.
“It was £30 for a box of peppers at one point. The only thing that’s never changed in price has been chicken.
“It’s been difficult but we’ve kept going.
“We really need people to start coming to the restaurant.”