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Photos courtesy of The Crannog Restaurant Global Foodservice Built on water Seafood restaurant provides base for Loch-side enterprise BY ANTHONY FLETCHER D iversifying business interests can be a clever strategy for when times get tough, though it is equally important not to spread 30 SeaFood Business July 2013 yourself too thin. One seafood restaurant in the Scottish Highlands, Te Crannog Restaurant, has attempted to strike a balance and forge a little empire on the shores of Loch Linnhe. Located in a refurbished bait shed on the Fort William town pier, the restaurant has become the centerpiece of a business that began a quarter of a century ago with fshing. Local fsherman Finlay Finlayson was catching langoustines for sale in London when he came upon the idea of selling fresh seafood in town. He converted the old bait shed into a restaurant, and 24 years later the establishment is still going strong. An eye for an opportunity has continued to serve Finlayson well, for the restaurant now forms an integral part of the Crannog Concept business. "Te population here triples in the summer, so Finlay was aware of the tourism potential in the area," says Olivia Gemmill, Te Crannog Restaurant's marketing and communication manager. "Lots of customers are now repeat customers, not just from Scotland and England, but from further afeld." Te secrets to the restaurant's success, says Gemmill, are fairly straightforward: spectacular loch-side location and keeping things simple. Te menu changes according to season and availability, while a specials board lists the fresh catch. "Our menu is often dictated by the fshermen," she says. "But this need for fexibility is both a challenge and an opportunity; our chefs need to be creative!" Te head chef at Crannog is local Stuart McLaughlin, who served his apprenticeship at the restaurant before gaining experience abroad. Appetizers include panfried scallops at £9.50 ($14.30), Inverlochy salmon parcels at £7.95 ($12) and steamed clams and mussels for £8.95 ($13.50). Entrées include a seafood platter for two at £70 ($105), sole fllets served with asparagus, spring onion mash and The Crannog Restaurant had humble beginnings as a waterfront bait shed. lemon hollandaise for £17.75 ($26.70) and seared salmon fllet with potato cake, cured salmon cream and a fennel and orange salad for £16.95 ($25.50). Tere is also a set twocourse lunch menu for £12.95 ($20.25); diners can choose from a list of appetizers including marinated mackerel with fennel and orange and smoked salmon with a caper salad. Te list of entrées includes beerbattered haddock fllet with sautéed potatoes and rémoulade and Crannog fshcakes with salad and hollandaise. "We always try and source at a reasonable price, so sourcing is a major issue for us," says Gemmill. "We are obviously afected by fshing quotas, but not to the same extent as other parts of the country. For example, serving cod is a big issue down south at the moment — it's seen as a bad thing because of overfshing — but in the deep waters around here, cod is abundant." As the restaurant business began to take of in the early 1990s, Finlayson spotted another golden opportunity: operating cruises around the loch. He bought an old boat, revamped it and turned it into a viable tourist vessel. Tis has Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com