Greyhope Bay café reopened at the weekend, serving a whopping 600 customers on Saturday and Sunday.
The Torry Battery café, run by charity organisation Greyhope Bay, reopened its doors on March 1.
New café manager Andy Hastie said: “We had people queuing up outside the door 15 minutes before we opened.
“It felt quite surreal. But it gave us the reassurance that if we do this right, it could be really successful.
“When we were doing work in the weeks leading up to the opening, people would ask us again and again ‘are you open yet?’
“People are very excited.”
‘Finally Aberdeen is getting its act together and doing something good’
The coffee spot was previously run by Mount, however they confirmed their departure from Greyhope Bay in November last year.
Volunteers looked after the café for another two weeks, but it closed in mid-December.
The café, well-loved for its expansive views of Aberdeen harbour and the North Sea, is also popular for dolphin spotters.
The bakes available at Greyhope Bay café are all supplied by local businesses.
The Bread Guy provides the cafe’s croissants and pain au chocolat, Truffelos the traybakes, while the cinnamon rolls and cookies are made by Vegan Bay Baker.
The café also offers various hot drinks like matcha, espresso, mochas, lattes and more.
“We ran out of food on Sunday,” adds Andy, laughing.
“I didn’t expect it to be that busy!”
First time customers Graham and Hazel Black raved about the café on their visit this week.
“We love it,” says Hazel.
Graham adds: “I think it’s great that they are developing this area, because it is a stunning beauty spot.
“Finally Aberdeen is getting its act together and doing something good.”
What’s next for Greyhope Bay café?
Greyhope Bay’s CEO Fiona McIntyre said there are expansion plans in the works for the Torry Battery café.
“It’s fantastic to see that there is such support for the café and the charity,” she says.
“It wasn’t ideal to be closed over the winter, but it was a really good moment to reopen and be ready for the 2025 season.
“People came out in force, and the team did really well.
“It goes to show that this is a part of Aberdeen that is growing in popularity, and people do really want a facility there.”
The team is working with Historic Environment Scotland on plans for expanding the café.
They are hoping to create an outdoor “market area” for local food and craft stalls, and an “exhibition space” for events and workshops.
“Our focus is to keep growing the audience that we have so that we can demonstrate the demand and viability for something a bit bigger on that site,” she adds.
“And it will be better incorporated into the monument of Torry Battery, and speak to the history and heritage of the site.”
The charity is raising funds with a sponsored walk on April 12.
The 31.5km Dee to the Sea walk will start at Bellfield Park in Banchory and end at Torry Battery.
Conversation