For Phil and Katie Witton, opening up a bar was a major step into the unknown.
In 2015, the couple swapped the central belt for Bishopmill in Elgin.
Katie ended up running a tanning salon, while Phil worked for alcohol giants Diageo.
But they felt there was a gap in Elgin’s nightlife.
In November 2020, they opened up Foggies Bar at 37 Bridge Street.
The bar, which only could hold 63 customers, quickly became a hit in Elgin.
The owners frequently had to turn away customers on busy Saturday nights.
So when the opportunity came about to move into the former Bonnie Earl pub down the road at Munro Place, it was a no-brainer.
The bar took three months to renovate.
And in January 2022, they opened up in their new larger premises with a capacity of 220 people.
The bar has 10 staff members.
Phil said: “It has been a big learning curve running a bar as we both had no prior bar experience.
“The original idea was off the back of the vape bars trend.
“We were nervous going into the unknown but we enjoy challenging ourselves.
“During Covid, when we had to close our doors, we had two Fiesta 500s going around places to deliver cocktails.”
”We just wish we’d done it earlier’
There is many challenges when it comes to running a bar.
However the pair has enjoyed the rapid rise of Foggies.
He added: “For many pub owners, 2019 was their last good year.
“However we can’t compare and it has been so great for us since we started.
“When we started off, we couldn’t believe it about the overheads such as VAT and business rates.
“However we have enjoyed it a lot.”
Katie said: “The move to larger premises came about when a local investor approached us with concept of them buying premises and us renting for a minimum of 10 years.
“And we did the transformation ourselves.
“We wish we started the business earlier.”
What does the future hold for Foggies?
The couple remain focused on ensuring the Elgin bar continues to be a success and find new things to meet customers needs.
Phil said: “People comes to Foggies from Inverness, Aberdeen and beyond.
“Some have said it would be great to have a Foggies in Aberdeen or Inverness.
“However, we are focusing on the Elgin bar at the moment.”
He added: “We cater for everyone from people watching football, vaping, karaoke, birthday parties, live music and beer garden.
“There are pool leagues too.
“We have just recently released our own labelled beer produced by Heineken which is only £3.50 per pint too.
“It is all about meeting people’s needs.”
When asked about being a success outwith the town centre, Phil replied: “I just see Elgin as a whole rather than town centre and outwith.
“We are happy where we are and look forward to seeing the business continue to grow.
“We can’t thank people enough for the support and positive atmosphere created.”
Meanwhile, playing a community role is important for Katie and Phil which includes the sponsorship with Elgin City FC Women team and letting people hold community and fundraising events for free at the bar.
Conversation