Glen Cafe Web Log

A cafe with no electric for the day

Glen Cafe — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Last week we got a letter from Scottish Power saying that they were doing work in the powerlines today between 9am and 4pm. The result - no power. Following a telephone call to Scottish Power, and almost been sent around in circles, the result was a conversation with someone who obviously did not understand the implications of running a cafe which relies on electricity for its function. The suggestions included closing!!!, cold buffets and filling thermos flasks with hot water for teas and coffee!!!

What did we do today - we stayed open. Three generators (begged, stolen & borrowed - not realy) , paper cups, polystyrene plates, soup (in proper bowels), sandwiches, teas, coffee & ice cream along with many understanding customers.

Thanks to our customers, thanks to Gordon Webster for the loan of the extra generator and thank you Scottish Power who were only 3/4 hour late with switching back on the electric.

Webcam Picture

Glen Cafe — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:21:00 +0000

I logged into the webcam this afternoon and saw a sight so beautiful I felt I had to share it. This was the view from the Glen Cafe showing the Loch of the Lowes and surrounding hills in all it beauty. I hope you enjoy it as much as me

Burns at the Loch

Glen Cafe — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:05:00 +0000

Last Friday (25th Jan) we had another of our "Not Another Burns Supper" and once again despite the very wet and windy weather it was a great sucess. Our thanks go to the usual suspects John Nichol, Hilary Bell (Vocals, guitar & dancing witch) & Lucy Cowan (Fiddle & dancing witch) who were ably supported by Judy Dinning (vocals & guitar) and Matt Seattle (lowland pipes)
Although this is a unique event the team are currently undertaking a "Bard on the Borders" tour of which there 2 dates left.
Sam braved the elements to build the Church!

Why are we not playing music in the cafe

Glen Cafe — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:45:00 +0000

Some of you may have noticed the quieter atmosphere in the cafe recently. Barbara would say it is because I am not talking as much but the reality is that we are no longer playing music. We to play the music of local artists that we sold in the cafe giving them an outlet for their CD's and an income. Unfortunatly we decided that we were no longer willing to pay the PRS and the PPL the total of £400 per year for the privalige of doing this.

To play music in a public place you need licences from 2 bodies the PRS and the PPL. These are the bodies which ensure that the performers & recorders get money when their CD's are sold or played. Fair enough. How much of it gets down to the lower levels? Not much we belive. Due to the high cost of the licence these local artists have lost another opportunity to make some money as we will not not sell as many CD's.

Kate & Bart return home

Glen Cafe — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:35:00 +0000

Well the day had to come when Kate & Bart had to return to Poland. We took them to the airport last Wednesday. It was a pleasure to have them working with us through the summer, although I think that they would have been a bit happier if the weather had been a bit warmer.

They both got stuck into the work and Bart even managed to catch a few pike.

Fingers crossed they will both be returning next year for 6 months

Thank you both and see you next year.

Different Tastes

Glen Cafe — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:03:00 +0000

How do you react when someone walks back to the counter and says they cannot eat the soup because they do not like it and they expect a refund or a replacement dish. This comes shortly after someone else said that the same soup was lovely and they really enjoyed it!

This is not an every day happening at the Glen Cafe and tends to take us by surprise (obviously not that someone enjoyed their food - by the way did you see the write up in the Guardian last week!)

We have no issues giving replacements or refunds if there is a problem with the food that we put out although we pride ourselves in not sending anything to the tables which is of a quality which we would not eat ourselves. In the above scenario with the soup there was nothing inherently wrong with the soup it was just not to the taste of the individual concerned.

The type of food that people are used to vary. Our soups are not made using artificial colouring or flavours or lots of salt. What it says on the board it what you get! Salt can be added to taste by the individual. Some people are just used to eating highly seasoned food

Pat of the Back

Glen Cafe — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:39:00 +0000

Its always nice whatever you do to get a pat on the back. We always get positive feedback from customers but this week has been good other ways. We have been nominated for best cafe in the "Best Eating Place in the Scottish Borders Competition 2007" a big thank you to whoever recommended us for that. Also today we are listed in the Guardian newspaper as one of 30 great roadside cafes.

Days Off

Glen Cafe — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:02:00 +0000

What do you do on your days off?

We had an wonderful afternoon last Tuesday at the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh an excellent garden in the Middle of Edinburgh. Not only that but most of it is free to get into. Unfortunately we were too late to see everything and will have to return to see the rest including the Hot Houses (admission fee).

The reason we were there was a lecture to launch and exhibition by a photographer called Mark Edwards called Hard Rain. It turned out be be a very disturbing evening. Hard Rain is a collection of Photographs depicting the environmental plight of the planet set to the words from the Bob Dylan Song "Hard Rain" Take a look at the Website http://www.hardrainproject.com to see for yourself what it is all about. We did not learn anything new ourselves but to have it brought home to use once again is making us rethink our lives. We hope that you will look at the website and think what you can do!

Amazing People

Glen Cafe — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 10:26:00 +0000

People never cease to amaze us. Imagine the scene: 2 girl hitch hickers outside Fort William. A car stops to pick them up to give them a lift. As they are talking he askes where they are heading. The Glen Cafe they said. "is that the one in the borders by St Mary's Loch" the man asked. It was. The 2 girls were friends of Kate & Bart from Poland who were visiting them on their travels. The man knew the Glen Cafe from a couple of weeks earlier when he visited. Why is this so amazing. The driver of the car went 100 miles out of his way to bring the 2 girls all the way to the Cafe, leaving here at 11.30pm to continue his journey to Edinburgh!

Welcome Kate & Bart

Glen Cafe — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 09:33:00 +0000

The end of June has come and we are now into July and I thought it was about time to introduce our Polish pair of Students Kate & Bart. They are going to be with us for 3 months, and are settling in well. They do not believe that we do have good weather in this country though!! Come in and say Hello to them!

Where o Where has the Salt Pot Gone?

Glen Cafe — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:16:00 +0000

Over the years we have seen several ash trays disappearing from the picnic tables outside the cafe. Maybe they are been taken as a souvenir of their time at the cafe?! This last weekend one of our salt pots have gone missing. We hope that it will sit well on their table! If anyone knows about it please let us have it back - we can only buy them by the dozen.

Goodbye Keri

Glen Cafe — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:15:00 +0000

What is it like to loose your right arm? At the Glen Cafe we are about to find out with the greatest impact on Barbara in the Kitchen. Many of you will know Keri. She has been with us at the cafe since our second weekend 4 1/2 years ago. She has grown with us at the cafe and knew the place inside out. Last Sunday was Keri's last day with us before her venture into full time work. We will miss her but we wish her well, and every sucess, in her future.

Choice

Glen Cafe — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 19:05:00 +0000

At the Glen Cafe we like to think that we provide a lot of choice for people considering our location. A broad ranging menu from Filled Rolls to Panini & Jacket Potatos and a full range of coffee including decaffeinated options. Imagine my surprise today, when I informed a customer who asked for 'Blue Topped' milk that we only kept semi skimmed, when she responded that she felt she was been denied a choice. Milk is one of those items which we struggle to get supplies of. We can get only 1 delivery a week. The shelf life of this delivery is 7 days. If we get the quantities wrong we either end up having to drive a 50mile round trip on an evening to get more, or freezing it to keep it longer. We would love to keep full fat mild for cappuccino & latte or Skimmed milk as an alternative. What about soya milk for those with dairy allergies or vegetarians. We have to compromise on this one!

Staff

Glen Cafe — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:24:00 +0000

How do small businesses keep going? At the Glen Cafe due to our location, seasonality of trade and weather dependency we are in an impossible situation regarding staff. This year we thought we were set when we gave 2 young lads 6 month contracts for the summer. Both contacted us prior to starting to say they had other jobs. One week before Easter and we once again had no staff.

Things began to look ok again when we had another application from a lad from galashiels who wanted to train as a Chef - great support for Barbara in the Kitchen. We then accept an application from 2 Polish students for 3 months. We need another bedroom so buy a second caravan and change the car to enable us to carry people & stock at the same time. With all this in place the lad from Galashiels vanishes off the face of the earth with no word, notice or anything.

Like I said at the beginning how do Small businesses keep going. The stress in unbelievable and the hidden costs are amazing.

Prepared to Order

Glen Cafe — Fri, 25 May 2007 19:35:00 +0000

We are a wee Cafe by the Loch

That regularly gets chocka block

So when you're queued for your food

Please stay in a happy mood..

You're getting it as fast as we can.

At the Glen Cafe all food is prepared to order. We do not hold any food hot to ensure the quality, we do not like chips or bacon which have been kept warm for an hour or so. Also because of our extensive menu what would be hold hot. We never know which of the dishes are going to be more popular. Jacket potatoes can be popular one day but hardly any done on another. What we can assure you is that when you have waited in a que to order your food Barbara takes the same care to prepare your food is the same late afternoon as it is in the morning. And when we are busy Barbara & the kitchen are working at maximum potential so much so she hardly stops for a drink. Amazing when the temperature on a hot Sunday afternoon can be over 35C.

Why Fair Trade?

Glen Cafe — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:38:00 +0000

At the Glen Cafe all our coffee (decaf and regular), regular tea, table sugar and hot chocolate is Fair Trade. Why do we do this? The simple answer is why not!! These products are readily available and the quality is as good as non fair trade products.

Another answer is we choose to. Although there is some debate as to the benefit of the Fair Trade idea as far as we see there is benefit and if there is no benefit we are sure that it is not detrimental to the farmers.

The question we ask is why more places do not support Fair Trade

Hazards on the Road

Glen Cafe — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 15:25:00 +0000

It was a sad day last Sunday with another fatal accident on the road by St Mary's Loch. Again a collision between a Motor Bike and a Car. Firstly before I go on I would like to make it clear that as I do not know any details of the accident, I will leave this to police/coroners etc, I am not blaming either party for the accident.

The police are doing a great job with their around the corner campaign. On the morning in question a police motorcyclist was outside the cafe talking non stop to bikers and telling them of the roads etc. This campaign could be pushed out to all road users on borders roads because everyone has a responsibility and with so many blind corners anything from sheep on the road or people walking could be unseen hazards. The Yarrow valley around St Mary's Loch is beautiful and can be appreciated more at a slower speed. Relax and enjoy the beauty and everyone drive safely

Why does it always rain on your day off?

Glen Cafe — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:20:00 +0000

It always happens! It has happened to you. You work hard for a week, looking forward to your day off to do the gardening, or go for a walk, or just sit around in the sun like everyone else when they have a day off in the sun. As you will know the Glen Cafe is shut on a Tuesday and guess what - it is raining!!!

Easters Over

Glen Cafe — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Well Easter has been and gone and what an Easter it has been. The weather for the last couple of weeks has been fantastic. Although we are open through the winter Easter is the traditional start of the Summer Season. It is nice to see many visitors again from the previous year out enjoying the beauty of the St Mary's Loch area.

The Easter weekend is a bit of a double edged sword. It is probably our hardest weekend and it covers 4 days with the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays. On top of that this year the weather has made the weekends and mid weeks, which were also school holidays extreamly busy. We have never run out of so many things before our deliveries, and we have never had to shop on the evenings so many times to stock up with Milk etc.

Comming Soon

Glen Cafe — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:34:00 +0000

The Glen Cafe blog will be coming soon...