Rob Steadman’s business plan to open a new wine bar was 15 years in the making – but lasted just three months after it opened.
The Walrus and Corkscrew in Inverness was to be his ‘retirement project’, but its popularity has kept him as busy as ever.
This success has come despite taking the risky decision to open the Church Street venue while Covid restrictions were still in place.
‘People thought we were mad’
“At the time, people thought we were mad to open a business then”, he said.
“But after three months I threw away the business plan because it was doing much better than I planned.
“And that was with social distancing and people having to wear masks and sit outside.”
The wine bar idea had been fermenting for some time with Rob, who spent more than 30 years in the events industry.
Having started in theatre and stage management, he was later events and marketing manager at the old Inverness District Council.
In 1993 he organised a large fireworks display of the type that is still held in the city today.
He later worked in professional rugby. For 20 years he opened up and ran two stately homes in East Lothian for events.
While living in Edinburgh, he had the idea of opening his own small wine bar, initially in the capital.
Timing and fate led to wine bar opening
But he then moved back to Inverness in 2018 and the dream developed into the Walrus and Corkscrew which he started with wife Sarah in 2021.
“The wine bar was something I wanted to do for quite a while”, said Rob. “I actually did the business plan 15 years ago.
“But it came down to timing and fate and we opened it here.
“I saw it as a retirement project, but it’s grown arms and legs.
“I certainly didn’t expect to have seven staff working on a Saturday in the height of summer.
“I gave up the events industry because I was working too many hours.
“I’m still working as many hours. But the difference is that before I was dealing with large-scale corporate events for 400 people, whereas now the only stress I have is whether I enough cheese for the weekend.
“It’s the most fun I’ve had in a job ever.”
Ideal size and location of business
The Walrus and Corkscrew is in premises previously occupied by a vegetarian cafe and its location and size made it the perfect fit for Rob’s plan.
The 24 seats downstairs and a further 40 outside are regularly full in the summer , and weekends have to be booked well in advance.
Upstairs, space for another 14 is taken up with around 40 wine tasting events a year, including birthdays and corporate days.
This was all done largely on word of mouth recommendations , with very little advertising.
Being one of only three places in Inverness in the Good Food Guide for last two years also helps.
“It’s the ideal building”, says Rob. “I didn’t want anything too big, it had to be cosy and easy to maintain.”
One of the questions he is constantly asked by customers is will he open somewhere larger?
“I’m turning people away at weekends, which is not ideal. But I don’t want a bigger venue.
“With that comes extra costs. And the idea was always to have a small bar that was easy to run.”
So why is it called the Walrus and Corkscrew?
The other recurring question regards the bar’s name.
Initially it was to be called just Corkscrew, but Rob felt it didn’t work on its own.
As he liked the title of the Lewis Carroll poem The Walrus and the Carpenter, he added a second element.
“I wanted something daft and away from the usual wine bars names.
“Also, walruses are incredible social animals and a group is called a huddle which seemed ideal for our small bar.”
Customers can choose from around 260 wines (“to suit every taste and every budget”).
Some of them are not available anywhere else in Scotland, and prices start from around £24 a bottle.
The bar also offers locally-sourced cheese and charcuterie platters which are just as popular.
“Some people come in for the food and the wine is secondary. They are very interested in local produce.”
So much so, that Rob and Sarah opened the Merchant’s Delicatessen on Castle Street last year.
“We realised there wasn’t an outlet for a lot of local produce in the city centre.
“It’s all joined up thinking and it means there is little food waste between the two places.”
New-look castle can boost tourism
Both premises are popular with local people and tourists who are coming to Inverness in greater numbers.
Rob estimates North American visitors have returned to around pre-9/11 levels due to the exchange rate and pent-up demand post-Covid.
He believes more could be done to attract and retain visitors in the city and that the refurbished Inverness Castle which opens next year could help.
“If they get that right as a visitor centre it could be a real boost for the city and keep people in the centre.
“It’s what Inverness is missing at the moment, a major attraction.
“As well as overseas visitors, we have to look at the UK market.
“Many people came here for the first time during Covid. At the time it seemed people either went to Cornwall or the Highlands.
“Now they are coming back. In a funny way Covid was good for the Highlands.”
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