Beautifully Presented and Profitable Restaurant, plus 3 Bed Accommodation, in a Spectacular Location

• Excellent restaurant set in the heart of beautiful Lochcarron.
• Well maintained property, offering an outstanding turn-key operation.
• Spacious 3 bed owner’s accommodation with open plan living and bathroom.
• Profitable business benefitting from 4.5-star TripAdvisor ratings.
• Ideally located on the North Coast 500 route.
• Offer Over £120,000 (Leasehold)

DESCRIPTION
The Carron Restaurant presents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a well-known restaurant and whisky sales establishment. Ideally located in the stunning area of Lochcarron, the location is a walker’s paradise that attracts clientele from around the world. This leased property includes spacious owners living quarters upstairs, great external seating as well as the spacious internal restaurant. The relaxed restaurant and soft seating lounge comfortably seats around 40 and 6 covers respectively, with another 42 covers available outside, on and around the decking area.  

The current owners purchased the business in 2015, and throughout their tenure they have built an outstanding reputation, with well-earned 4.5-star reviews and ratings through the exceptional food, hospitality and attention to detail. The Carron Restaurant currently trades 6 days per week, offering a menu which highlights good quality locally sourced produce.

REASON FOR SALE
The current owners have worked tirelessly since they took on the business to build its reputation, developing the stylish first-class restaurant it is today. It is their intention to retire, that brings this high-quality business to the market.

TRADE
Due to its reputation, quality and location, the Carron Restaurant enjoys healthy bookings throughout the season. Customers can find the business through its own website along with other platforms such as TripAdvisor where it has earned a desirable 4.5 rating. The business currently trades throughout the year and is open 6 days a week, being closed on Thursdays.  The operating hours vary to suit owners’ needs.  During the tourist season, the business benefits from regular bus tours (3 or 4 days a week), arriving at 10am for morning coffee, where shortbread is the order of the day!

The business is managed by a husband and wife team who undertake the roles of front of house and chef. Temporary staff are employed on an ad hoc basis over the year.

The retail part of the business involves the ‘Whisky Experience’.  The owners have a great knowledge of the subject and are Whisky Ambassadors. They are able to, not only sell a wide variety of whisky, but also undertake guided tasting sessions where they impart their considerable knowledge of whisky to customers.  This represents a lucrative additional income stream to the core business.

PROPERTY
The original part of the property is traditional with a freshly white painted rough cast render and slate roof. The windows are white PVC double glazed units which were replaced around 6 years.  All exposed timber soffits and roof facias are black painted.  The overall impression is fresh and clean.  

The extension was added around 6 years ago and compliments the original build with a slate roof and by using similar windows. The walls are finished with an appealing vertical overlapped timber detail.  

LOCATION
The West Coast of Scotland is known for its mild climate and the unspoilt countryside and traditional communities which make this area so popular with those seeking a change of lifestyle.  The surrounds of Lochcarron and nearby countryside offer stunning coastlines with sheltered sandy beaches and island views, plus spectacular countryside and rugged mountains. These features are a major draw to visitors, making the area highly popular with those seeking a relaxing holiday in the Scottish Highlands. Geographically, Lochcarron is an excellent base from which to explore the beautiful west coast, including the Isle of Skye. The area also offers some of the finest field sports in Scotland, particularly for trout and salmon fishing and deer stalking.  The coast is famous for its sailing; whilst inland, mountains and moorlands offer spectacular scenery, hill walking and climbing.  Herds of wild deer are abundant in the neighbouring hills, sharing their habitat with the fox, grouse, golden eagle, raven and peregrine falcon amongst others.  The area is rich in wildlife and great for ornithology.

This property is located 4 miles from the west coast village of Lochcarron on the A890, part of the official NC500 route. Lochcarron is reputed to be one of the longest villages in Scotland and stretches over a distance of two or more miles along the north shore of Loch Carron. In recent times, businesses in the region have benefitted significantly from the NC500 tourist route which has drawn large numbers of new visitors to the area.  The idyllic setting of this pretty coastal village is also a popular location to set up home with its small and vibrant community and a population of around 900.  There is a local primary school and secondary schooling is available in Plockton which is about 13 miles away with a free bus service for children to and from school.  

The Lochcarron area has many local amenities such as a garage with fuel, grocery store with post office, medical centre, hotels and library. Further shops and amenities are available in nearby Kyle of Lochalsh.  The area also benefits from a train station, only 1 mile from the restaurant, and bus service, both with connections to the Highland capital, Inverness. Inverness is an attractive, very popular tourist destination which is just over an hour away with all the facilities of a major city including its airport with regular flights to the south and Europe.  

CARRON RESTAURANT 
The Carron Restaurant is located on the ground floor of the building, ideally set well back from passing traffic.  The restaurant offers a number of different seating areas. The charming main area is set with individual tables and chairs. This, together with the retail area, the soft lounge area and the decking area on the front of the building offer different customer seating options.

The customer entrance into the Carron Restaurant is via the front door benefitting from a low accessible ramp.   The customers then enter into the modern and comfortable lounge area.  This area is tastefully decorated areas has a lovely ambience. It is equipped with 3 double seater leather sofas and coffee table set around a cosy modern wood burner stove.  This part of the building really enhances the overall property and was built by the current tenants a few years ago.  To the left is the main restaurant and retail area.  The retail area is mainly focused on whisky. The vendor has an interest in this product and finds that tourists are often looking to purchase, hence making this a profitable part of the overall setup.

The restaurant area is set up to accommodate 40 covers and the lovely external deck area is set with 5 six-seater picnic bench seats.  To the side, are 2 further picnic benches set on the gravel.

OWNERS ACCOMMODATION
The spacious owner’s accommodation is located on the first floor and can be accessed via an external stair and private door into a lobby. This bright and modern accommodation consists of two roomy double bedrooms, a small double bedroom, a family bathroom, a comfortable and a spacious open plan living / dining area with fully fitted kitchen off to one side.

Living / Dining 6.9m     x     3.6m
Kitchen    2.1m     x    2.4m
Master Bed    4.2m    x    3.6m
Bedroom 2    3.6m     x    3.3m
Bedroom 3    2.7m     x    3.4m
Bathroom    2.3m    x    2.5m
(Dimensions are indicative, taken at the widest point, so should be verified by the buyer)

SERVICE AREAS
The property benefits from a well-equipped kitchen, located to the rear of the property facilitating ease of food preparation and service. The servery is between the kitchen and the customer seated area.  The servery is ideally set with plenty of surfaces and storage. There is a good level of storage throughout including fridges, freezers, dry stores. The premises benefits from an external storeroom which houses dry goods, fruit and veg storage, laundry and additional fridges and freezers.  The service facilities work extremely well for the scale of the operation.

To one side of the restaurant lies the well decorated customer toilets.  One of the toilets is more spacious than the other, providing good facilities for the less mobile.  

GROUNDS
The Carron Restaurant benefits from a sizable and well-maintained garden area to the side of the restaurant which is mostly laid to grass with some attractive trees and shrubs. To the front of the building lies the spacious decking area and customer car parking, which is large enough to accommodate coaches.   To the south of the restaurant lies the Carron Pottery, this has it’s own car park which is loosely separated from the restaurant’s.  The current arrangement is a loose one, allowing both businesses to benefit from the whole of the extensive car parking as required.

To the rear of the building lies the private grounds.  There are various outbuildings including a large store and a heated gazebo dining hut. Private parking is available to the side of the restaurant.  This area also allows deliveries to be taken straight into the kitchen or the external store.

SERVICES
The property benefits from mains electricity, water and drainage. LPG is used for cooking in the restaurant kitchen. Solid fuel fires are located in the soft seating area of the restaurant and the living area of the house. The Carron Restaurant is compliant with electrical and fire regulations. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property.

DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL
The following list highlights some potential development opportunities which new owners may wish to consider. The list is not comprehensive, but indicates some potential areas for development.
•    Increase operating hours to include breakfast provision or dinner more days per week
•    Subject to planning consents, extend covered seating provision outside