12 September 2023 , 11:54
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The owner of a family-run tapas restaurant has taken to social media to plead for customers after a night of empty tables.
Scott Oliver, from the Tapa in Bollington, Cheshire, was forced to 'swallow his pride' and ask the question 'What can we do to get people to come in?' on his online platforms after he was left devastated by the lack of customers. The 35-year-old restaurateur said he was overwhelmed by the response to his post on August 30 and claims he was flooded with so many calls of support that he had to remove the batteries from the restaurant's phone to cope with the influx.
Scott Oliver owns Tapa in Bollington, Cheshire (Kennedy News/Tapa)Dad-of-one Scott, runs the restaurant alongside Jaydean Pilling, and on the night following his plea, they served around 60 people and had to turn away an additional 30 due to being fully booked. However, the financial strain on Tapa continues to mount. The restaurant's electricity bill has skyrocketed from £600 to £2,500 over the past 18 months.
Scott acknowledges his post may have sounded 'desperate', but added he will do whatever it takes to keep his business afloat during these challenging times - even if it means having to 'pull on heartstrings'. He told Manchester Evening News: "We need bums on seats or we aren't going to survive. The post is against some people's ideas of how to use social media but you get to a point where you have to."
Scott with Jaydean and son Louie (Kennedy News/Tapa)"It's heartbreaking and it's soul-destroying for the lads in the kitchen. I don't want them prepping all day to do absolutely nothing and be stood around. We've got to a point where electricity bills are so high, gas bills are so high, the mortgage has gone through the roof and staff costs are ridiculous. I even had to plead with our electricity supplier. Kicking, screaming and crying down the phone telling them we're going to have to close the business if the bills aren't reduced."
'I absolutely hate when people ask to split the bill - I can't afford it'
He added: "I would never have posted anything like that before this year. It looks desperate. It's like a cry for help and makes it look like our business is failing and we're begging. I'll do whatever I need to do to make our business survive and if that's playing the violin and pulling on some heartstrings unfortunately I've got to do it.
"The irony of it is we're in exactly the same boat as customers. We're a family-run restaurant and we don't go out much anymore either. After my post, the phone was non-stop ringing and I had to take the batteries out. I couldn't even get to the settings to turn the volume down and it was disturbing me while I was on the phone."
The owner's candid post has sparked interest, leading to bookings for other nights and even a private party. Scott also noted a significant increase in their social media following, gaining around 200 new followers. He added: "For anyone who even commented, shared, liked, new followers and bookers. Thank you so much. Jay has to work tonight too now."
The duo opened their restaurant 12 years ago but decided to shift from fine dining in 2016, transforming their menu to feature only small plates.
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