jen boyle says

I think it's a brilliant idea, if it could be achieved! Cafes like this all over Scotland are disappearing fast, and it's such a shame to see them go. I'm unsure how you would go about it though- Angela and Luigi seem to work all summer without a break, Would other people be prepared to put in those hours and commitment?

craig allan says

i have to agree that it is a good idea, if it was a comunity cafe no one would have to put in those hours there could be staff in it then no one would have to do the 24/7 working it would be split between the staff, and the staff would be affordable because at the moment angela and luigi are trying to make a living out of it. if it was visit scotland or the national trust that took it over they dont reli have to make that much proffit so could afford to make more payments to staff.

hope someone looks in to it tho it could be a fantastic viable idea if we could get the backing

Site Admin says

Roy McKeag posted elsewhere: I regularly travel to the Scottish Islands. A few weeks ago I was on Muck which has a Community Cafe. This Cafe is a great success due to great home baking; fresh top quality meals,sandwiches and snacks (no fast food!); toilets, open air seating to enjoy the views on a good day; sale of local island beers; cafetiers of coffee; great prices; internet access for rainy days; sale of locally produced gifts inside the cafe; community notice board, leaflets, books etc etc. A very small island like Muck with only 30 inhabitants and a fraction of the visitors that Millport gets (one ferry per day) makes a profit and keeps four people employed full time (during the summer anyway) although the cafe is open throughout the year. The Cafes at the Garrison, Fintry Bay or the Dancing Midge are all closer to this model than the Ritz.

Customers go to the Ritz because of nostalgia not for the services it offers. The owners and staff are great but the Ritz has been caught in a time zone which isnt applicable to younger generations - formica has lost its appeal to many! To keep the 60's theme then do it properly with a 60's Juke Box, staff in 60's uniforms etc., sell t-shirts - make it an icon! But that costs money.

If I was a another local cafe owner I would not be at all happy about the 'Community' putting me out of business by investing in just one cafe and leaving the rest to go bust. The Ritz has had its day - let it go gracefully or let someone invest if they think they can make it pay but the fact that no-one is interested demonstrates that in its current state it has little commercial appeal - only nostalgic appeal.

Emma McMullen says

You could investigate the idea further by getting someone to do a feasibility study into the idea.  I work with a number of community groups who have purchased and developed assets for the benefit of their local residents and visitors and there is usually funding available to cover this support which can include developing an idea and securing the funding required to set it up. 

June Allison says

The fact that many cafes such as the Ritz are successful is down to the fact that they are family run i.e. no expensive staff.

There is no way that the Ritz could be profitable if Staff had to be paid for the long hours it is necessary to work.

Also, these things are always a great idea at the beginning but when you start to look at the nitty gritty and the amount of work involved, it is often found that the idea runs out of steam.   You'll also find that when you are looking for volunteers to do the work, they are all too busy......................   Anyone with experience of working on committees anywhere knows what happens and would be very wary.

Anyway - we already have a Community Cafe - it's in the Garrison.

allan sinclair says

What about all the famous people and celebs who have enjoyed a slider , poky hat or a beverige in the establishment , the could donate a small sum each and with fund raising we could put together a workable solution with voluntary and salary that reflect the tunover  , if you want something badly you can make it happen it would be a tribute to this establishment and hold a lot of memories with numerous tourists and local people

Val Nailor says

I think it's a great idea. There would not be any difficulty getting the place staffed. The staff would be paid. There is a difference between a voluntary committee member and someone employed to work for a committee. Profits would, presumably, be ploughed back into the Community for its obvious benefit.    

Angela Gilmour says

I think its a wonderful idea, in theory.  The Ritz is "Millport" just like the Crocodile Rock is.  Any effort/idea is better than none.  Good luck to everyone involved.  I agree with most of the previous comments except the one stating that The Ritz is past its time/stuck in a time warp.  Personally thats the best thing about the Ritz.  Nothing wrong with being nostalgic !

June Allison says

Having re-read the comment I made below I realise that I have given an impression I did not intend;

"The fact that many cafes such as the Ritz are successful is down to the fact that they are family run i.e. no expensive staff.

There is no way that the Ritz could be profitable if Staff had to be paid for the long hours it is necessary to work."

For which I apologise.   I did not mean to make any comment on the profitability of this business in particular and I was wrong to do so.

What I was trying to point out was that taking over and running any business on a Voluntary basis - if it is only doing the organisation - is not as easy as it can first appear and involves a tremendous amount of hard work.   Doing it for yourself is one thing but doing it for a commitee is something completely different.

I hope that this corrects an impression I did not mean to give and I apologise to the Giorgetti family for posting in haste and not re-reading what I had said.

Roy McKeag says

I think a dose of reality is required here. To survive a business must be profitable. I dont know the turnover figures for the Ritz but the fact that it has been up for sale for a couple of years with no interested buyer would suggest that the profits are not so good that someone wants to invest. I dont want to be unkind to the Ritz but it needs a substantial investment and a makeover to keep it as a 60's Cafe. And it would be unfair for the other Cafe owners if the 'Cummunity' started to support one retail outlet at the expense of the others and potentially drive other businesses under - what good would that do to the 'Community?' Its not as if the Cummunity doesnt have Cafe facilities - it does.

Nostalgia is all very well but it must make a profit. The Ritz has no toilets and very limited fare. A coffee and cone dont make much of a profit. And has been said a family run business put in hours that paid workers would not accept. There are three other Cafes on the Island all trading profitably (otherwise they would close). The Ritz has had its chance over the last couple of years to sell itself as a going concern and failed. Let the current owners do with it as they see fit.