Danny Grant refuses to believe there is no future to the hospitality industry in the north-east of Scotland.
After three years when the sector has been devastated by the Covid pandemic and rising costs, the Buckie loon still believes it is a career where you can fulfil your dreams.
So much so that the 28-year-old has gone “all in” on becoming the new owner of the Kirkie pub in New Elgin – even selling his house and car to complete the deal.
However, the new landlord insists it is far from a leap of faith and is instead a calculated next step in fulfilling his ambitions.
Why buy the Kirkie now?
Danny has already developed an impressive list of working at some of Scotland’s most renowned restaurants during a 10-year kitchen career, including at Gleneagles, the Old Course in St Andrews, Ardoe House in Aberdeen and the Craigellachie Hotel.
Last year, he took his first steps on his own by opening the Nae Bad Food food truck in the Kirkie’s beer garden.
He said: “I’d been working at Craigellachie for four years. It was probably some of the best times of my life. It was hard work day-in, day-out, but I loved it.
“I’m a keen foodie and during Covid I kind of decided that I wanted to create my own brand.”
Nae Bad Food opened in June last year and has established itself as a go-to destination for burgers and loaded fries in the south of Elgin.
However, after running a Christmas pop-up business in the Badenoch’s premises on Elgin High Street, Danny realised he was ready for more at the Kirkie, which had been on the market for four years.
He said: “It was such a great atmosphere that I started wondering about my own place.
“I was chatting with Mike (Taylor, previous landlord at the Kirkie) and he just said ‘Why don’t you buy this place?’
“We thought about it for a while, before deciding to go for it. I sold my house, I sold my car, I basically sold everything to do it.”
New owner building on Kirkie’s reputation in Elgin
Among regulars, former landlord Mike Taylor was renowned for pouring one of the finest pints of Tennent’s in Elgin.
It’s one of the things that Danny is adamant will not be changing at the Kirkie with him as the new owner.
A few alterations have already been made, there is now a family licence with plans to offer more bookings for celebrations.
Some internal refurbishments are planned for the coming months with an expanded kitchen in the works for either late 2024 or early 2025.
In the meantime, Danny hopes to grow the bar’s reputation as a venue in the south of Elgin for food to attract customers inside.
He said: “The long-term goal is to really make it somewhere for families in the south of Elgin, who maybe don’t want to go all the way into town, or maybe as a starter for going out.
“We had a gender reveal party here that was mobbed, and we’ve got a kids party for 20 with a bouncy castle and things like that.
“There’s so much great offerings in Elgin at the moment for food, whether it’s Humble Burger, The Big O or the Beach Hut at Lossiemouth.
“I’m not going to try and say we’re the best, because they’re all amazing at what they do, but like the Nae Bad Food name suggests we’re going to try and combine nae bad food with nae bad hospitality and make it somewhere people want to come to.”
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