‘One thing Annan should be proud of is the people; the people of Annan,” says hospitality industry expert Stephen Montgomery, who opened Our Place restaurant on the High Street two years ago to provide not only a stylish new food and drink offering for locals, but also a dining destination to draw in visitors and help put Annan on the map.
He believes the town has so much to offer, with one of its best assets being the friendly folk who live and work there.
“It’s not always easy coming into a new town, setting up a new business and making a home there, but we have been warmly welcomed and that has been appreciated,” says Stephen, who had previously spent more than 20 years in Lockerbie, where he had the award-winning The Townhead. Back in 2017, the hotel featured in the hit Channel 4 show Four in a Bed in 2017, winning the coveted prize for outstanding hospitality.
Stephen sold it two years ago and while he originally thought he might just focus on consultancy work and staff training, and his busy role as director and spokesman of The Scottish Hospitality Group, which takes him to meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh, including with MSPs in Holyrood, seeing the then Tweedie’s Empire Bar & Eatery up for sale in Annan, persuaded him otherwise.
Taking it on in March 2022, he re-opened it in July following “significant investment” and a complete transformation. During that four-month period, he and his wife Sharon, a staff nurse, also got married, and managed a honeymoon.
Stephen and Sharon designed the restaurant and bar, transforming not just the interior but completely renovating the exterior with blue woodwork, large windows, and striking floral displays which Stephen hopes will continue to encourage other businesses to enhancing their kerb appeal.
“We put our heart and soul into it. We wanted to bring something new into Annan, to stop people from going our of town to Carlisle and other areas for something to eat. We’ve created something that has a city feel about it. I represent more than 840 restaurants and bars and I looked at what they are doing and what worked well. We wanted to make a statement,” he says.
Creating a stylish setting full of Instagrammable spaces and features (including Sharon’s striking bubble-gum pink ladies’ toilet, complete with Audrey Hepburn mural) is one thing, but Stephen knows they key ingredient for success for any hospitality business is the staff and he is full of praise for his team of 14 full and part-time employees, headed up by head chef Lynzee Mckie from Lockerbie, and restaurant manager Ally McDowall.
Stephen himself is hands-on, helping out with everything from cooking to cleaning to doing the washing up. The only thing he says he can’t do is make the cocktails.
When it came to deciding on the name for his new enterprise, Stephen says: “It was one of those light bulb moments. We were trying to create something that was personal to, to our staff, and to the customers. Our relationship with our customers is so important, and we get people travelling from far and wide now.”
Stephen is delighted with feedback to Our Place, which launched a new menu in March, with a new smalls plates selection, and is going to be offering wedding packages.
“We are really proud of what we have achieved. Everyone who has a pub or restaurant in Annan has a part to play in the town and we have a lot to be proud of here. There’s something about the High Street: it’s full of family owns shops and independent businesses. People talk to you and its friendly.”
