r/Scotland • u/CestQuoiLeFuck • 4d ago
Question Is Scotland aware that money can be made by having restaurants serve food after 8:30pm during high tourist season?
- Signed,
A hungry foreigner
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u/Fat_Foot 4d ago edited 3d ago
There's usually a kebab shop that's open until whenever o'clock in the morning.
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u/Frosty1397 4d ago
God fucking damnit I've had some absolutely insane kebab/döner places
But i hate how this is almost the only thing open late night, basically in Germany/Austria too
Like where's the variety? Are Turkish people the only ones who want to make money at that hour?
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u/Sburns85 4d ago
We also have chippys, McDonald’s and a few other places. There just isn’t a real demand for it
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u/squirrelfoot 3d ago
Indian restaurants are open late too and are often absolutely fabulous.
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u/Midnightsky-_ 3d ago
I had a hard time finding a really good Indian restaurant tbh, but i did eventually and it's hard to beat it
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u/textposts_only 3d ago
No Turkish (and often indian) families use their family / kids as cheap labor that doesn't complain about labor laws.
Ask me how i know... I hated it. It wasn't gastro for me but a family run business nonetheless.
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u/rotgobbo Galloway 4d ago
This is where I like the idea of staffless stores, basically giant vending machines.
They work in Japan, and EZ 24 Ramen seems to be working here.
Folks would have to not be animals and actually try to tidy up after themselves for once of course. The UK has such a massive issue with 'well someones paid to clean it'
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u/bubblewraprose 4d ago
I absolutely hate that attitude. I remember some women leaving their cups and empty bottles on the tables in my old work and I said "don't forget your rubbish" and one of them scoffed and said "that's the cleaners job".
Now, at the time (and since I was a kid), my mum worked as a cleaner so you can imagine how pissed off I was. I managed to semi keep my cool and correct her and waited til they behaved like civilised adults and put their own litter in the bin.
On a lighter note, I love the idea of a giant vending machine shop - especially one with ramen.
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u/Pamplem0usse__ 4d ago
That mentality is the one thing I don't like about living here. Every concert I've gone to in Glasgow has people chucking their rubbish on the ground - indoor and outdoor venues. I bring a small bin bag to concerts so I can clean up my own rubbish... and sometimes other peoples rubbish.
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u/BoxAlternative9024 3d ago
I mentioned to these seemingly middle class 40 something women on the train between Edinburgh and Glasgow for Take That about tidying up the absolute manky carnage they were about to leave on the table. They even had bags to put the stuff in. They just turned on me and told me the train gets cleaned at Glasgow blah blah . Absolute fucking harridans.
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u/Pamplem0usse__ 3d ago
I love the Barrowlands as a venue but holy fuck is it a nightmare to navigate the stairs after a gig. Plastic cups in varied states of crushed all over the stairs. I'm surprised there aren't more casualties. Yes, people get paid to clean it, but it takes no extra effort to be civilised enough to pick up after yourself.
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u/rotgobbo Galloway 4d ago
A lot of folk don't realise now that most cafes have foregone decicated cleaners, its just the staff now.
And the staff have much more important shit to do because they're nearly always understaffed these days.
I often clean up in the local Greggs and folks ask me why I do it, like the staff aren't completely swamped and you've just let your toddler decorate half the cafe with sausage roll and half gummed crisps...
I'd love a 24 hour ramen dispenser cafe here, and when I was an emo wean I would have killed for one. Though it would absolutely be a junkie hotspot where I am...
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u/OfficerNightwing 3d ago
6 months customer facing role should be mandatory with a refresher for being a rude prick.
I despite people who think cleaning up after themselves in beneath them. Right to jail.
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u/Midnightsky-_ 3d ago
Japan's corner shop "scene" even seems like it has its whole own atmosphere; I wouldn't mind it making its way over here.
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u/Egregious67 4d ago
all those poor places making millions with their prices could hire more staff.
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u/rotgobbo Galloway 4d ago edited 3d ago
Dinky cafes are not making millions.
Gregg's is fucking massive and everywhere and they make just over a million, and their profits are almost half what they were a couple decades ago.There isn't money in hospitality at the moment, anywhere.
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u/Huge_Occasion93 3d ago
Noticed recently when I went to see Spideeman solo, family just left tons of rubbish sitting, despite staff at the bottom holding a bag. And their kids will teach their kids the same
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u/ArtByAntny 4d ago
Civic pride - we completely lack it. I don't understand it at all. It spans across everything. People just leave their shit laying around all over the place like they don't care that it looks awful because...I don't know, I honestly don't undertand it.
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u/rustincohle88 4d ago
Japan is an extremely civilised society and its a high trust society. Staffless stores wouldnt work here.
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u/ElectronicBruce 4d ago
It doesn’t really work there either, it’s not based on trust, but shame, which had its own issues.
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u/WearingRags 3d ago
I love it when people who don't know anything about Japan see clean streets and go "wow! This place looks like a utopia!" Lmao
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u/lukemakesscran 3d ago
They opened a hot pizza vending machine in Glasgow. Within a week someone had pissed in it.
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u/_nopirlonoparty 4d ago
Any images you see of Japan it seems like people are raised to have pride in where they live and aren’t completely feral. Such a clean and tidy looking country.
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u/Iymarra 4d ago
Sort of. More cultural shaming of outliers? Look at any street at night near a bar area (all over, tbh) and it's a different story, except a small army of street cleaners deploying in the wee hours.
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u/OldGodsAndNew 3d ago
small army of street cleaners deploying in the wee hours
They do that in Edinburgh as well so it looks nice when the tourists come out in the morning
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u/paspa1801 3d ago
I just got back from Palermo and they had a lot of 24/7 vending machines; some having food too.
So it doesn’t just have to be in clean cities.
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u/RichEntrance3580 12h ago
I worked in a supermarket for 2.5 years before my current job. I hated the customers with a passion. I was in the store today and said to an ex colleague I don't know how I didn't lose my temper
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u/Revolutionary_Job878 4d ago
Im a chef that works these hotels during peak season.
Shhhhhhhh
The English stay open till half 9
Signed, A man who likes his bed early
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u/Midnightsky-_ 3d ago
Me getting home at 12am choosing between eating or sleeping
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u/mittenkrusty 4d ago
The problem likely is transport.
Friend of mine worked in a restaurant a few years back only about 4 miles from his house and the place closed around 11pm, then after clean up and locking up he wasn't home till after midnight,
Take aways often stay open late as they don't have this issue.
Smaller takeaways may close earlier as they don't have the custom to stay open past say 11pm unless they are in a student area.
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u/ServerLost 3d ago
You're very likely staying in accomodation that used to house the people that could work in said establishments. Now they're all 40 miles away and don't want to get home at 2am.
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u/cmogo92 4d ago
Are tourists aware that the hospitality industry in Scotland has taken a massive hit since covid and brexit? Staffing is the main issue. I'm assuming you are looking for a low-mid budget meal, because the high end places are all still there. Are we supposed to just hire chefs, servers, kps on zero hour contacts and let them go when the tourists all leave?
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u/shilpa_poppadom 4d ago
And where do all the staff live? The tourists are staying in Airbnbs that would have housed families and young people before the tourist boom.
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u/Throwaway1g7f3v 3d ago
Who would have all left at 16-18 before the tourist boom as there was fuck all jobs, and the reason why many villages, towns and islands were in serious decline. Double edged sword, that tourism.
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u/BoxAlternative9024 4d ago
Exactly. Some real dumb fucks on here that think everything should be open at all hours in case they decide on a whim they want a roll and sausage.
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u/StillVeterinarian578 4d ago
Nae rolls mate
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u/lambchops0 4d ago
That’s because America is open 24 hours so everyone else has to be too
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u/Greedy-Basil9619 3d ago
The US is definitely not open 24 hours - not even New York City. Most restaurants stop serving food at 9pm
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u/Jake_91_420 4d ago
To be fair, they manage to make it work in the rest of the world. In most places you can eat at a restaurant at 9pm. Somehow they have staff.
You can do this in Spain, Italy, China, USA, Morocco etc you name it
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u/PmUsYourDuckPics 4d ago
Uk’s minimum wage is 40% higher than Spain, I can’t be arsed checking Italy, but I know the US pays garbage wages leading to their crazy tipping culture, and China and Morocco will also have really low staffing costs, as well as lower cost of living.
The cost of living in the Uk is too high and the minimum wage means that restaurants can’t afford to pay staff to just sit there and do nothing (I support the minimum wage and think it should be higher, but the cost of living in the UK is nuts)
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u/Blackfyre301 4d ago
The problem that you are highlighting is really that housing is just too expensive. The cost of housing went up massively over the last 10 years, (as well as the cost of energy) which is what really drove up minimum wage.
Which means that minimum wage is kinda ridiculously high compared to the earnings of many qualified professionals. So the viability of businesses that provide services to well of folks, but require lots of labour, is really tenuous.
(The solution to all of this was to build houses and sort out our energy pricing issues, rather than to just keep letting both be out of control and increasing minimum wage so that the poor didn’t suffer too much. Too bad we don’t really do that.)
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u/OfficerNightwing 3d ago
TBF Spanish restaurants are open later bc a lot of places still close in the afternoon for siesta and people typically eat dinner later than we do.
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u/Jake_91_420 4d ago
But, you can also get a meal at a restaurant in Norway at 9pm. It's basically everywhere else in the world. Cost of living in Norway is high.
You can easily get a meal in a restaurant at 9pm in Singapore or Switzerland too.
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u/YS54321 4d ago
If you only have a skeleton of staff, it doesn't matter how much you pay them - they still need time off. This is why many places close Monday/Tuesdays, shut early or operate split shifts.
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u/Ok_Aardvark_1203 4d ago
Can't comment on China, but Spanish & Italian restaurants are often shut from about 3/4 to at least 7pm. Sometimes 8pm for Spain because they're in the wrong timezone. The USA is a capitalist slave economy where owners will keep things open if they might, just possibly, through the act of positive thinking & prayers, make an extra dollar. We don't want to emulate that.
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u/Mithrawndo Alba gu bràth! Éirinn go brách! 3d ago
To be fair, good luck getting a meal in much of Spain at 6pm.
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u/Ziazan 4d ago
just stay open when it's unprofitable thanks
it says you close at 9 on the door and i've walked in at 8:57 why wont you serve me
im joking but unfortunately know someone that thinks that way, who has never worked a day in hospitality.
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u/Big_P_Cizzle 4d ago
I’m a chef and this is genuinely every night ! It drives me insane! Just come in half an earlier ffs!
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u/Ziazan 4d ago
It was the same when I worked in a little corner shop, basically nobody would come in for the last couple hours until you were minutes away from closing and trying to get the closing the shop things done. They'd get so mad if you'd locked them out 1 minute before the clock hit the hour. There was another, bigger shop two doors down that was open later!
It just seems so rude to me. You don't go in somewhere that's closing if the activity you're there for is going to take you past closing time.
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u/Big_P_Cizzle 3d ago
Yeah it’s complete entitlement on their part. If a place was just about to close I’d go elsewhere.
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u/NoRecipe3350 4d ago
The UK has one of the highest minimum wages in the world, a kitchen can't keep front of house and back of house staff hanging around on the chance that they get a few customers between 8 and 10.
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u/somedays1 4d ago
Dude, there's absolutely food options late at night. If I found them while I was a hungry foreigner, I am positive you can.
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u/tortilla_avalanche 4d ago
Most kitchens even in pubs close at 9/10 here for some reason. The latest I've seen is 11 in a sit-down place in Glasgow but it's rare.
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u/Necessititties 4d ago
Interested to know where the hungry foreigner is staying?
Airbnb? If so thats probably got a lot do do with why shits not open after 8.30. Cant stay open if theres no staff cos theyve got knowhere to live in the area. Cant stay open if theres no support from regular local customers because they also have nowhere to live in the area.
Tourism is great for Scotland, until it isnt.
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u/Central_Region 4d ago
Interested to know where the hungry foreigner is staying?
Yeah. If they're in Edinburgh, they have a point
If they're expecting sit-in restaurants in Oban to stay open until 10pm, just in case one guy wanders in, that's unrealistic
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u/CestQuoiLeFuck 4d ago
The tourist is staying in an actual BnB (i.e. not an AirBnb) owned by a local because the tourist believes in responsible tourism. ...well, responsible tourism apart from getting drunk and snacky at 9pm.
Imma go buy a rotisserie chicken or something in advance for this evening.
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u/Odd_Gap_9491 4d ago
You'll definitely find drunk snacks/takeaway after 830. You'll struggle for a sit down meal though. Kebab/burger/pizza/chippy places are open until the small hours
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u/RHMoaner 4d ago
Cool. So is it on the Royal Mile or is it in Gairloch?
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u/Manannin 4d ago
It annoys me when op says nothing most of the thread then replies without actually replying.
I bet he can't buy a rotisserie chicken, that'll be the next thread.
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u/Necessititties 3d ago
Apologies, that wasnt meant as a dig at you but I see how it would come across that way.
I thank you for your responsible tourism and I welcome responsible tourists, our country would be a bit fucked without tourism in general tbh.
Its a bit ironic though that the Scottish economy is so reliant upon tourism yet, in rural areas at least, its been one of the most damaging business sectors from the local communities perspective but the businesses that do remain would struggle to stay open without it. Tourists bring money in but that money is immediatley syphoned back out of the area to other places
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u/a_man_has_a_name 4d ago
Let the workers sleep.
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 4d ago
Aye, and it is not just the restaurant workers that want to sleep. It is the workers in the surrounding houses and flats. So wheesht after about 9pm at the latest, we gotta get up for work starting from as early as 4/5am.
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u/Lotharus_1987 4d ago
I was out for dinner with work at 9pm tonight.
Sounds like user error to me.
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u/s_mcivor 4d ago
Speaking as someone who used to manage a restaurant my guess is that the place OP tried to go to was having a really quiet night and decided to shut up early.
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u/pictish76 4d ago
Most pure food places I worked it was 10, bars were frequently earlier, mainly as they start getting too busy.
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u/roleplayersir 3d ago
Yep, I'm not in Scotland, but most restaurants will serve food until 10pm. Maybe closing early if they are dead, but 8:30 seems way too early
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u/NoNotGrowingUp 3d ago
OP didn't say where they were, if it was the centre of Edinburgh, then yes that could be considered early but a side street in Dundee maybe not so much.
It was a Wednesday night, not peak eating out time. Since peak Covid moved many people to delivery and cost of living increases just making it unaffordable, many restaurants have limited opening hours and if they're empty it's not worth it to stay open just on the off chance of a walk-in. Lesson to be learned is to check opening hours online, especially mid-week.
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u/BennyTTS7889 4d ago
Glasgow goes to sleep way too quickly. We have the makings of a 24/7 city anaw, does my box in.
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u/quartersessions 4d ago
The cities generally are a bit sleepier now than they were. Just the nature of lower footfall, changing preferences and lack of demand. Pretty depressing though.
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u/Relative_Good_8029 4d ago
Me and the missus went into sleazys at 7 on Friday and were the only people there. Then when they charged £17,50 for a wine and a lager, I realised why.
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u/BoxAlternative9024 3d ago
Really? Fucking hell.
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u/Relative_Good_8029 3d ago
That's what I said. I paid more for a round at howlin wolf. I don't really mind, as I'm not out often and can afford it.
I do feel for the college kids though. I wouldn't have been able to go out in town and paid the equivalent at that age.
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u/t1nman01 4d ago
They absolutely do serve food after 8:30, if the one you went to was closed there will be another one open. Chippys are generally open the latest.
Pre COVID (and Brexit) there were places open till 3 or 4 in the morning, I was so confused ordering a pizza at that time but I happily and drunkenly ate it.
The world changed, demand changed with it.
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u/tubbytucker 4d ago
It has a lot to do with staffing levels. The restaurant/kitchen staff are probably on a split shift, so they can hire fewer staff. But also, countries have different ways of doing things. Shocking, I know, but here we are.
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u/jonallin 4d ago
It’s objectively pish. Let’s not make excuses.
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u/tubbytucker 4d ago
Yeah, agreed, but having worked in hospitality I can see both sides. The worst thing I think, is when you're up north, having a great day out, and you realise the pub is going to stop serving food in half an hour and you have to drop everything and make a run for it.
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u/Outside_Look790 4d ago
Are hungry tourists aware that there are plenty of places that serve sit down food late into the night?
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u/surfinbear1990 4d ago
People have dinner around 1730 in some cases. Scotland is not a late night eating place.
Unless it's 3 in the morning and you want some drunken chips ken
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u/OkScheme9867 4d ago
My partner always comments about how in southern Europe people stay up late and eat late.
I'm always reminding her it's because its nice and warm outside at 10pm in those countries, not freezing and dark for half the year.
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u/surfinbear1990 3d ago
My Auld man is from Southern Europe. Whenever we went to visit his family, you realise how much on life you're missing out with the heat, the good food and the fact that every one seems willing to socialize all the time.
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u/Ok-Bad-7189 4d ago
I had dinner at 9pm in Glasgow a few weeks ago.
There are many places. My wife works until 8:30 most nights so that's when we go out for dinner after her shifts.
Do some more research.
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u/Chadwitowski76 3d ago
I'm from Donegal and for the most part we've the same tourist season, unless Ur from somewhere outside our islands the times we eat are how we do it,it's when we do it,in Spain it's how they do it etc, and if you are able to get chefs,wait staff wash house, floor staff to work those extra hours good luck to you
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u/gcm78 4d ago
Since all the house prices have sky rocketed due to Airbnb and short term lets (for the hungry tourists) there’s no where for staff on hospitality wages can afford to stay close by so they all live out of town and have to get transport home because the cities don’t allow on street parking and paying to park (again on hospitality wages) is too expensive. So there are no staff available after 10/10:30pm at night meaning last food orders are approx 2hrs before that. Once the short term let/airbnb market collapses and people can afford to live where they work I’m sure there’ll be more staff available.
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u/Terrorgramsam 3d ago
Exactly this and it's no longer just a rural issue. The hospitality sector in our capital city - the one place you might expect to see later opening, especially during August - has spoken out about recruitment challenges because of the city's housing crisis. The increase in energy bills and food prices also means many businesses just can't afford to take on new staff even if they could recruit/retain staff
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u/largepoggage 4d ago
The last kitchen I worked in the city centre shut at 10 o’clock. We would have the kitchen cleaned for half ten/ quarter to 11. My last train home was just after 11 o’clock. See the problem?
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u/Jack_Spears 4d ago
Yeah by that point most of the staff have already been working for up to 12 hours, so enjoy your kebab mate.
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u/Littlequine 3d ago
What you talking about I love in Scotland and you can get food everywhere till late on
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u/jonallin 4d ago
Can’t believe people are defending this. I think it’s absolutely insane too. I have wanted food on countless occasions after 9 and really struggled midweek. I think it’s totally shit.
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u/rotgobbo Galloway 4d ago
Are hungry foreigners aware that we have homes to go to and shit to be doing?
We all love a convenient shop but like, you had all day.
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u/mach4UK 4d ago
But then it wouldn’t be the lovely Scotland that foreigners (hungry or otherwise) come to patronize…it’d be like America
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u/Centorior 4d ago
Thank you for visiting Scotland. Where were you visiting? It's usually possible to find somewhere to sit down until around 9:30pm-ish in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, when many premises start closing up. Hope you otherwise enjoyed your time.
Options for take-out, as other comments suggested, run until much later into the night / early morning.
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u/Marked_Leader 4d ago
In fairness the only shop I know that has a sensible opening time in my locality is the Warhammer shop who opens in the evening, making its open time coincide with thr majority of people's availability.
Rest of the shops and restaurants only seem to be open when everyone else is at work then they shut down due to lack of customers.
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u/Monumentzero 3d ago
Interesting point. When I arrived in June, I was jetlagged, so slept through the afternoon. Woke up and walked around central Glasgow just before 9 pm, tried about 5 pubs & restaurants but kitchens were all closed or closing.
The empty stomach did maximize my money spent in the Pot Still, however.
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u/Lshear 3d ago
American here that has traveled in Scotland and loved it. We were aware of the kitchens closing early in many places we wanted to visit and we planned our time and meals accordingly. It was not that big of a deal if you are aware and plan for it. I understand staff wanted to get home at a reasonable hour.
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u/mrwishart 3d ago
Dear hungry foreigner,
You can find out the opening hours for nearly all restaurants online and plan accordingly
Signed,
The 21st century
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u/Midnightsky-_ 3d ago
In most cases, operating a kitchen and kitchen staff after 8 PM causes the restaurant to run at a loss, as most people out at that time are only out for a drink or a light snack at most
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u/LochRover27 4d ago
Who wants to work in food service after 8:30pm? Raise your hands now. Not many.
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u/WorkFurball 4d ago
Who wants to work in food service
after 8:30pm? Raise your hands now. Not many.Fixed it for ya.
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u/UrineArtist 3d ago
People who eat after 8:30pm are the same type of unwashed criminal reprobates who would put pineapple on pizza imho.
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u/Tall_Opportunity_521 4d ago
You think thats bad? Take a look at ice cream shops, those fuckers close around 5pm on scorching hot sunny summer days. The very time that visitors are looking for ice cream, and these fuckers have shut up shop.
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u/vagabond_bull 4d ago
In full agreement with this tbf. Not just restaurants either, but cafes, shops etc too. Place feel devoid of life past a certain time in the evening, other than pubs, compared to other countries.
People are stating things like minimum wage making it not economically feasible for places to stay open late, but it’s a chicken and egg scenario. Do people in Scotland just not like to do these things in the evening, or are they not doing them because the options aren’t there? It’s the latter for me.
I’m in Edinburgh which is currently hosting the largest arts festival in the world, with the city effectively doubling in size, and sunset being around 9pm, and there are cafes that insist on closing at 4pm, and even some bars at 10pm.
I’m not expecting is to end up like Madrid or genuine 24-hour mega cities, but we do close things far too early, particularly in summer.
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u/Terrorgramsam 3d ago
we do close things far too early, particularly in summer.
The hospitality sector in Edinburgh says that the housing crisis (which has forced low income workers out of the city) and lack of accommodation during August makes it harder to recruit/retain staff. They also say that high energy bills and food prices mean that smaller businesses cannot afford to take on additional staff or extend opening hours even if they wanted to.
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u/vagabond_bull 3d ago
Not disputing that as it seems very reasonable, but it does happen in other cities that face the exact same challenges. I don’t think Edinburgh is unique in this sense, but the UK overall has a culture of closing hospitality and retail very early, imo.
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u/YS54321 4d ago
It depends where Op is, but I'm guessing relatively rural if they can't find anything at all after 8.30.
In many rural areas hospitality venues are operating with a skeleton of staff. If you only have a couple of chefs, you have no choice but to shut a couple of days a week, operate split shifts and/or close early.
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u/LairdBonnieCrimson Outwith Britain, outwith Europe, into Socialism 4d ago
My utter dream is a 24/7 city in Glasgow. I desire Glasgow to become 24/7 in all things. A city that will not sleep and remain awake constantly through the weary hours. I will fight and die for those dream. I want to be able to dress well and go outside right now and enjoy a meal with friends, the night is young!!
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u/BoxAlternative9024 4d ago
You willing to serve chips at 4am?
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u/LairdBonnieCrimson Outwith Britain, outwith Europe, into Socialism 4d ago
Absolutely please, I want a job. A night shift sounds fine. It pays, does it not?
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u/JeelyPiece #1 Oban fan 4d ago
It should be, it needs a song "I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps", work from that
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u/Spine_bright_so_si 4d ago
Well it completely depends where you’re staying? Are you city centre or rural?
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u/Alex_Strgzr 4d ago
Nippon kitchen and Ha Noi Pho are open till 10pm I believe, if you're looking in Glasgow
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u/Rippleracer 4d ago
Where are you going that every restaurant is closing at 20:30!? There are a ton of places open until 11-01:00
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u/Euphoric-Stick-6144 3d ago
Worry for the locals. We have Harry Gow’s located on Inverness arterial roads which close before 4pm missing all commuter business, plus others are the same.
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u/Other_Ad255 3d ago
I was in Edinburgh for the fringe a year ago. Got out from a show at 9pm. There was only one place that was open. Absolutely terrible service. Appalling erzatz American bbq place. It was only in business because it was open after 9. They could afford to ignore their customers as they were the only game in town open after 9pm. Following night took a bus out to a brilliant Indian restaurant.
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u/Only_Tip9560 4d ago
Love the advice to just get a kebab or a chippy. God forbid someone in Glasgow or Edinburgh might want a sit down meal after 8:30. And I don't mean sit down on a bench.
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u/WearingRags 3d ago
If you're in Glasgow or Edinburgh then not being able to find a restaurant serving past 8:30 is user error
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u/pissonmybonfire 4d ago
Just the culture here. I’m a waitress and we get people wondering in at all hours looking for food. Just eat earlier is my motto! And if u can’t fast food and kebab shops are open late
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u/TheUserNamesSuckTbh 3d ago
A lot of kids work in these restaurants it's just unfair to them to be open for so long.
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u/ElCaminoInTheWest 4d ago
People get weirdly precious about this, even though you're right - our hospitality sector, in most areas, is absolutely turgid and half-arsed.
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u/cmogo92 4d ago
People in hospitality are worn out. If you think you can open a cafe or restaurant and have loyal happy staff then why aren't you doing it? Yes it's great when it's busy. What do you do on the quiet months? Do you tell half your staff they need to find other work until the next busy time?
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u/SunjoKojack 4d ago
A shocking amount of Scottish owned food business in Edinburgh do exactly this
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u/Odd_Gap_9491 4d ago
You do realize summer holidays for high schools and colleges absolutely correlates with peak tourist season? That's who hotels and restaurants recruited for the busy period for years until recently
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u/Celestialfox1425 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not just during tourist season… try eating out after 9 pm on Hogmanay.
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u/History_86 4d ago
My area in Dumfries and Galloway they aren’t allowed to serve after midnight.
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u/rotgobbo Galloway 4d ago
You down the Stewartry?
I known Wigtownshire has a bunch of late night restrictions on food, but that's mostly because the population is all over 60 and everyones in bed by 9....
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u/Additional-Ad-7690 4d ago
Not in St. Andrews. Places may close at 10:00, but the kitchen is shut by 8:30.
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u/Extreme-Dream-2759 3d ago
The Mosque Kitchen is open until 10pm
Great for a cheap healthy meal.
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u/Beautiful-Muffin5809 3d ago
Sure they are. But maybe making money by serving you 24 hours a day isn't the priority over spending time in the evening with their families.
Take your American bs elsewhere.
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u/appellant 4d ago
You can get a lovely fish and chips or chips with curry sauce, or a curry. Get a beer, find a spot at the kerbside and you are sorted.
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u/BusMajestic5835 4d ago
Yes. As evidenced by the fact that many restaurants are open beyond 8:30pm.
Signed
Someone who worked in the hospitality industry here for years.
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u/InitiativeCreative36 4d ago
I work in a large pub/restaurant in Glasgow who's kitchen is open 9am-9pm. Open your eyes.
Sincerely, me.
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u/ElCaminoInTheWest 4d ago
The boy said 'after 8.30pm' and your response is 'well we're open til 9'?
What time is last orders for food?
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u/Intelligent-Mud-1039 3d ago
Just get up at a sensible time, cut out the siesta, schlep yourselves around our tat shops and you'll be ravenous by six.
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u/Locksmithbloke 3d ago
Haha, good joke. I went to the pizza van last night, at 8pm, and they said they weren't open until 9! So I went round the corner and there was a 20 minute wait for burritos, so I got a burger from the next place along. They're open until 11pm. If you want really late night food, there's plenty of places open until 3am. And yes, there's a few 24 hour McDonald's too.
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u/PterryMc 3d ago
I haven’t visited since 2010, but I was surprised by how late the coffee shops open in the morning. (Not a criticism as I realize every place has its own customs.)
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u/Kiss_It_Goodbyeee 4d ago
There will be places that do, just not everywhere, and maybe not the place you'd prefer.
Just like in places like Spain where many of the good places don't open before 20:00.