River House Restaurant

DESCRIPTION

River House Restaurant is an established high-end dining business occupying an enviable position on the banks of the River Ness, at the foot of the historic Greig Street Suspension Bridge. The distinctive white-painted frontage, red awning and riverside seating for approximately 12 covers offers excellent kerb appeal.

Extending to approximately 57 m², the restaurant features a stylish and characterful European brasserie-style interior, combining rich colours, dark timber finishes, statement lighting and contemporary furnishings to create an intimate and memorable dining environment.

Renowned for its premium seafood and shellfish, River House showcases quality, locally sourced produce including oysters, crab, mussels, langoustines and fresh fish.

A well-equipped open-plan commercial kitchen, supported by a separate wash-up area, provides efficient operational facilities.

With an exceptional EBITDA, an established reputation and outstanding riverside setting, River House represents an attractive opportunity to acquire a distinctive and profitable Inverness restaurant business.

REASON FOR SALE

After over 24 successful years of owning and developing River House, the proprietor has decided the time is right to step back from the business. This presents an excellent opportunity for a new owner to take over an established and successful restaurant and continue its operation.

TRADE

River House is an exceptionally popular and busy restaurant, trading five days per week from 3.00pm to 11.30pm, with Sundays and Mondays closed.

The restaurant provides approximately 30 internal covers with a further 12 alfresco covers overlooking the River Ness. Trade is particularly strong, with reservations reportedly secured up to three months in advance.

The popular daily ‘Oyster Hour’, from 4.00pm to 6.00pm, complements a predominantly seafood-focused menu offering choices to suit a broad range of tastes.

An extensive drinks selection includes malt whisky, cocktails and wines. The restaurant also enjoys an excellent online reputation, with ratings of 4.7 on Tripadvisor and 4.8 on Google, reflecting its established standing and strong customer following.

River House has also achieved a Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) Pass, having been inspected by the local authority and found to meet the required legal standards for food hygiene in Scotland.

The business has a dedicated website at https://riverhouseinverness.co.uk/

LOCATION

The River House Restaurant occupies an attractive riverside position in the heart of Inverness city centre, overlooking the River Ness and within easy walking distance of the city’s principal shopping, leisure and transport amenities.
Inverness is the commercial and tourism hub of the Scottish Highlands, attracting a substantial mix of local, business and visitor trade throughout the year.

As a key gateway to Loch Ness, the North Coast 500 and the wider Highlands, the city benefits from a significant domestic and international tourism market. The River House is ideally positioned to capitalise on this visitor economy, while its established city-centre location and picturesque riverside setting provide an appealing destination for both local clientele and tourists seeking a quality dining experience.

THE PROPERTY

The business occupies the ground floor of a substantial three-storey traditional building, prominently positioned on the gable-end corner of Greig Street and Huntly Street, overlooking the riverside. The property is of traditional construction beneath a pitched slate roof and benefits from double-glazed windows and a double storm-door entrance.

The restaurant has an attractive, white-painted frontage with prominent signage and large display windows, providing excellent visibility and good levels of natural light.

To the side, a red awning provides shading to the dedicated al fresco seating area, creating an appealing outdoor dining space which takes advantage of the prominent riverside setting.

PUBLIC AREAS

THE RESTAURANT
Access is through a storm door and inner glazed door into the attractive wrap-around, open-plan restaurant, providing approximately 30 covers. The restaurant offers a relaxed and intimate dining experience.
The interior retains period features and decorative cornicing, complemented by rich timber wall panelling, rose-toned patterned walls and contrasting olive-green ceilings. Quality timber furniture, cushioned windows seat, upholstered seating, ornate mirrors, feature lighting and individual table lamps create a stylish, warm and characterful dining environment.
Large windows provide excellent natural light and attractive outlooks towards the River Ness, further enhancing the restaurant’s distinctive ambience.

THE CENTRAL BAR
Positioned between the main dining area and the open-plan kitchen, the central bar provides a practical focal point and service area for the restaurant.
Finished in dark timber with a polished counter, the bar includes glass-fronted refrigerated display units, bottle shelving and suspended glass racks, providing a well-equipped service area for wines, spirits and cocktails.
A leased bean-to-cup coffee machine is also included within the bar area.

THE KITCHEN AND PREPARATION AREA
The restaurant benefits from a fully fitted commercial kitchen and adjoining preparation/wash-up area, laid out to support an established restaurant operation. The kitchen is predominantly finished with stainless-steel work surfaces and splashbacks, together with tiled walls and commercial-grade flooring for ease of maintenance.
The principal cooking area incorporates a substantial gas range, overhead grill/salamander, extraction canopy, deep-fat fryers and extensive stainless-steel preparation and storage areas, with open shelving providing convenient access to crockery and cookware.

An adjoining wash-up and preparation area provides commercial sinks, dishwashing equipment, additional stainless-steel worktops and extensive shelving for beverages, dry goods and service supplies.
Overall, the back-of-house accommodation provides a practical and well-equipped working environment, supporting the demands of a busy professional restaurant operation.

ANCILLARY FACILITIES
A vestibule with coat-hanging facilities leads to separate ladies’/accessible and gentlemen’s WCs, both beautifully presented and decorated in keeping with the restaurant’s distinctive and characterful interior style.
Throughout the restaurant, a series of beautifully conceived and discreetly integrated storage solutions offers an exceptional amount of space, cleverly concealed within the elegant design.

FINANCE AND LEGAL SERVICES

ASG Commercial Ltd is in touch with a variety of different lenders who can provide specialist finance. We will be delighted to discuss your financing requirements with you and make an appropriate introduction where appropriate. We also have many contacts in the legal profession who can assist in all legal matters arising.

SERVICES

The property benefits from mains gas, electricity, water and drainage.

EPC RATING

The EPC rating for the premises is G (308).

ACCOUNTS

Full accounting information will be made available to interested parties subsequent to viewing.

TITLE NUMBER

The title number for the premises is INV11558.

PRICE

A guide price of £249,000 is invited the assignation of the lease, goodwill and trade contents (according to inventory), excluding personal items. Stock at valuation.

The business currently benefits from a fixed rent for a three-year period, with the tenant responsible for external redecoration every three years.
A positive and established landlord and tenant relationship is in place, with the landlord having indicated that, subject to agreement and the usual consents, an assignation of the lease with a new 10-year term may be available to an incoming purchaser.

OFFERS

All offers should be submitted in writing to ASG Commercial Ltd with whom purchasers should register their interest if they wish to be advised of a closing date, should one be set.

DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The business offers scope for further growth through increased opening hours and additional trading days. Further opportunities include developing private events and functions, capitalising on the premises licence, together with the introduction of an outside catering service to create an additional revenue stream.

GROUNDS

The restaurant benefits from an attractive al fresco seating area on Huntly Street, accommodating approximately 12 covers and enjoying views across the River Ness. A distinctive red awning provides shelter to the outdoor seating, creating an appealing space for customers during suitable weather.

Bin storage is positioned to the Greig Street side of the building, separate from the riverside seating area.

LICENCE NUMBER

The premises benefits from an alcohol licence, Licence No. HC/INBS/334, permitting the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises.
The licence also provides for restaurant facilities, private functions and receptions, including weddings, funerals, birthdays and retirement celebrations, together with recorded music and outdoor drinking facilities. Any transfer will be subject to the appropriate licensing authority approvals.

STAFF

The business is supported by an experienced team comprising two chefs, with the proprietor principally managing front of house while also assisting in the kitchen when required. Additional staffing includes two kitchen porters, one cleaner, together with three full time and three part time front-of-house staff.

The established staffing structure supports the smooth day-to-day operation of this busy restaurant.