Inverness has changed a lot over the past decade – and one of its most popular pubs has certainly changed with it.
Ask any Invernessian or regular visitor to the Highland capital what its best-known hostelry is and there’s a more than a fair chance they’ll say Johnny Foxes.
Foxes arrived on the scene in 1997 and that association has been forged in the memories of the city’s revellers pretty much ever since.
Its late licence, live music and regularly festive atmosphere earned it a reputation as a go-to place into the small hours.
And it has scooped plenty of awards in the past to prove it.
But the landscape has shifted pretty dramatically since Foxes and the Den – its adjoining nightclub – reached the top of the mountain.
Pubs have been closing all over the country.
Many have fallen victim to soaring energy bills, a cost-of-living crisis and the fact that young people are drinking as much as they used to.
Late-night culture has been hit particularly hard. More than a third of UK nightclubs have closed since 2020.
And yet, Johnny Foxes raked in a record-breaking level of income in 2023.
General manager Tina MacDonald has been with the company for 13 years.
She said: “A lot of people hear Johnny Foxes and think of us as an ‘end-up venue’.
“And that’s important to us. But what we’ve done in the last few years is try to change that perception to become somewhere people can be from start to finish, with everything under one roof.
“That means great food, great cocktails, early evening entertainment, right through to your live music and DJs at 3am.”
Meal sales rocket at Johnny Foxes
The decor is familiar and the welcome is still warm – but the menu will look altogether different if you haven’t popped your head in lately.
That shift towards the food side of things has been the biggest change in recent years.
And it’s been a successful one. People have voted with their feet and at the height of summer, Foxes was selling between 2,500 and 3,000 meals a week.
“It’s just grown and grown for us,” Tina said. “We get so many recommendations, which is brilliant.”
As locations go, Johnny Foxes is in a fantastic one.
Overlooking the River Ness on Bank Street, on a warm day you’ll find its beer garden bathed in sunshine.
The power of Trip Advisor is one thing. But there’s also a big draw in the fact that Foxes is one of the first venues thousands of tourists will see as they make their way into the city centre from the coach drop-off point on Ardross Street.
That steady stream of visitors throughout the summer months has been a big part of its recent successful shift.
Competition can sometimes be fierce in the hospitality industry.
But Tina is full of praise for other Inverness establishments that have played their part in creating a vibrant city.
She said: “There are some fantastic places in Inverness and everybody bounces off one another.
“Someone might come through to us for lunch and we can give them a list of places to check out.
“There’s such a wide genre of food, drink and entertainment available. It’s a really enticing place to visit.”
Staffing remains stiff challenge for Inverness
It’s an experienced core of staff that are running the business.
But the nature of the operation means that they need a lot of hands on deck when the busy periods hit.
That can be challenging these days, with the pool of available workers considerably smaller than it was a decade ago.
Tina said: “Recruitment is one of the biggest problems people [in Inverness] have.
“That’s something that affects us, it can be really challenging.
“We’ve just had to adapt to what availability we’ve got and who’s coming through the door.
“Whether Brexit’s the problem or not, there are a lot fewer European workers.”
The lean months through the winter will be difficult too.
But they’ll come on the back of a jam-packed summer and a busy Christmas period.
Tina added: “I know there are easier places than here to earn a wage on a Saturday night.
“But we always have a lot of fun.”
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