The owner of Broughty Ferry tapas restaurant Sol y Sombra has explained his decision to sell.
The Gray Street restaurant is on the market for offers over £850,000.
While it is being marketed for sale, it will be business as usual at the Spanish restaurant which is among the highest ranked on TripAdvisor in the Dundee area.
Phil Stewart, who opened the restaurant 13 years ago with his wife Joanna, says he has mixed feelings about the sale but that it “felt like the right time”.
Sol y Sombra: From walk outs to sell outs
The restaurant was previously the Ferry Inn, owned by Phil’s father Jeff since the early 1990s.
The decision to change it from a pub into a restaurant was due to Phil’s passion for Spanish food – although it wasn’t an easy start.
“I’ve always had a thing for Spain – I travelled there during university, I went on holidays – and there wasn’t any Spanish cuisine in the city.
“We took the crazy decision to not have a menu – which meant a lot of people walked out in the early days!
“I remember sitting in the restaurant in 2010 on a Tuesday night just hoping a customer would walk through the door.
“But within a year we’d found our audience and it just got busier and busier.
“And we’ve always stuck to our ethos of serving authentic Spanish food. We’ve never served chips despite being asked thousands of times!”
Secrets to success
For the first three years, Joanna was the restaurant’s chef.
The couple credits the freshness of their ingredients – including the use of a specialist importer – and the loyalty of customers for the restaurant’s success.
“Because of not having a menu has allowed us to serve fresh food made that day,” Phil said. “The word of mouth spread and it built and built.
“Since Covid it’s just been non-stop. It just felt that people were desperate to get out again.
“Saturday nights have always been crazy, booked weeks in advance.
“Some of our regulars used to joke they’d book tables for the year and then sell them online. We’ve great customers.”
Couple’s future plans abroad
So why has the time come to sell the restaurant?
Phil admits it’s something he’s thought about for a few years, but delayed due to Covid.
He said: “After so long, 13 years, it feels like the right time for us.
“I’ve got a property on a lake in Poland which is really beautiful.
“We’re going to build some accommodation there and go into some organic food production.
“We’ve been approached a few times over the years to sell – it has such a good reputation and is so well known.
“It’s been a real journey and we’ve just loved it. We’ve loved serving Spanish food to the people of Scotland.
“Hopefully someone keeps it going as Sol Y Sombra that would be the ideal scenario.
“I have really mixed feelings about selling, that’s for sure. It will be a sad last day when it comes.”
Drysdale and Company is marketing the business for sale.
The restaurant, which is being sold freehold, is described as a “two-storey corner terraced property with 26 covers on each floor, commercial kitchen, and full premises licence in place.
“Impressive turnover and net profit. Staff transferable under TUPE legislation.”
Conversation