A 24-hour pie machine can no longer earn its crust round-the-clock after being hit with a licensing curfew.
The bakery vending machine in St Andrews has proved a hit with students in the town, providing piping hot sustenance for the trip home after a night on the tiles.
It is also on a roll with taxi drivers able to grab a quick bacon butty on the go.
But when licensing chiefs stepped in following a complaint from the community council, Fisher & Donaldson’s 24 Hour Bakery became the Almost 24 Hour Bakery.
The machine, which also sells hot fudge doughnuts and apple pies from the doorway of the company’s MacArthur & Sons shop in South Street, now automatically shuts down at 2.30am on weekends to comply with its new licence.
Ben Milne, a fifth generation member of the well-known family firm, said: “It’s very popular with students and, unexpectedly, taxi drivers. So many taxi drivers had told me it’s absolutely fantastic.”
When he came up with the idea, he was advised a licence was not necessary.
But neighbours started to complain about customers making a noise as they stopped at the vendor, which has three pubs close by, and the issue was raised by St Andrews Community Council.
Ben said the council contacted him and said he would need a licence after all.
He said: “I was a little bit annoyed and surprised but Fife Council has never come up against a situation like this before.
“There are other late night hot food outlets in St Andrews but this is quite unique because we have a licence but I am not actually there being a licence-holder.
“I would like it to open 24 hours, the community council probably doesn’t want it there at all and we have come up with this middle ground.”