jackwhite

It was mostly sold a couple of years ago, from what I hear. What you have now is an inevitable departing of the founders. The usual situation is the working relationship becomes 'strained' to the extent it's unworkable. For a variety of reasons I don't wish to expand on, I'd think that was very likely in this instance. Fynoderee certainly has been shipped further than the UK. This won't be the last casualty of the hospitality business here. I know a lot of people who've either had enough or want to leave.

On Fynoderee, reading between the lines, it seems they've got into bed with the people at Bushys and eventually been usurped by them, somehow. The line in the statement about how they've signed an NDA was interesting. That said, they've been going on about not making much money for many years. If some of what I've heard from them is accurate, there was little money in it at all. It's unlikely it crept up on them, Mr Fyn is, after all, an advocate and unlikely to have been hoodwinked in a legal agreement. So it will go into the Bushys portfolio. What will be the difference? Nothing anyone will notice. Neither of them are distillers so didn't have any direct input into the 'recipes'. They've had a distiller come up with them all, two different ones, as far as I'm aware. So it's not a difficult model to replicate. That said, I never thought they were particularly great products. The Bushys people will have deeper pockets than them so likely can absorb it, even if it's making little or nothing. Be interesting to see if they keep the bar, may signal them venturing away from Castletown and into Ramsey. Might be a good thing. That's obviously though just hypothetical. One thing I will give both credit for, Mrs rather than Mr, if I understand it, is the brand. It's clever and tourists love it. Leaning on the Manx folklore was a clever move.

It is profitable. They are retiring. I honestly can't think of anyone on island who can maintain the same standards they've set. Certainly not anyone who has the combination of wine knowledge and chef skills/restraurant running experience at that sort of price point and level.

Apologies. Just wrongly assumes everyone had been in one.

Same as every other Wetherspoons.

They will be doing cask but not until after TT. Don't have necessary equipment in place for it yet. Had heard suggestion bar was being moved to left hand side to accommodate. All 5 screens left on the ground floor were on. Someone said they'd been asked to so that @Happier diner won't go in as they themselves would like to frequent the place.

It's part of the hotel itself. I'd heard it was an upmarket offering but there doesn't seem to have been a lot of movement in a year or so. added to clarify, the hotel I mean.

I think it's likely because the rent is more profitable than running the cafe. Of course it's much less hassle too. Do you honestly think, when ploughing the millions into this it must have took, they planned on sub letting that part of the operation? There are many places around the island that people think are doing well because they're 'busy'. However even the most busy places are looking at cutting overheads as they aren't making as much as people think. Some are losing money. With the minimum wage increases too, I think we'll see 18-20 year olds working in bars coming to a halt. They get paid more, experienced staff want more. It's a vicious circle. I wouldn't be surprised if the next head of the hospitality board is someone already very closely connected to IOMG. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions how effective it will then be.

Do you know the owners of the building have sub-contracted the running of the cafe to someone else? Why respond they do it, if it's so profitable. Especially when they, themselves, don't have any rent to pay on it? Why have they tried to let it so much and nothing else has worked in it? I think you're equating being busy with profit. They're not necessarily the same thing.

There are plenty places that don't allow dogs, other than guide dogs. Doesn't seem to be a high number of guide dogs on the island, from personal experience. On the flip side, there are people who won't go where their dogs are not allowed. Likely a similar amount as those with your approach. Less people are going out these days. It's nothing to do with places not evolving. Between that and overheads continually increasing. The head of the board resigning should tell you what the industry think the government are doing about the problem.

If he's speculating, he's right.

Tried them from stevie. Again ok. Shame it never worked out for him. Best I've had had here are Mrs jocks. But agree, bringing back a must as stuff here not a patch on it.

The Mrs Jocks ones were ok. They were made by someone who was trained by butchers in Scotland, from what I've heard. She's no longer at Howdens. Had been going to do shows only as far as I'd heard. Don't know if that happened this year. I stand by what I said, no one on the Isle of Man does them anywhere near as well as they're done in Scotland. They have very specific spices back in Scotland and of the ones I've tried here, which are most of them, none have got that nailed down. Nees flash, cooking with spices does not require a Michelin star. Another manxie getting all offended and offensive because someone does something better than them. You must be permanently raging.

I've tried them. There's almost zero spices in them and I thought they were one of the worst ones I've had. Every butcher here always says they can do good ones: they've all been wrong so far.

Nowhere on the Isle of Man does a good square/lorne sausage. Loads try but they're all garbage and nothing like the real thing.