The owner of the Village Inn has told the ‘News’ that he is continuing to look for new tenants for the only bar/restaurant in Fairlie.
The Bay Street premises closed in mid September after it was re-branded as The Village Bar and Grill when it re-opened in March, the traditional Bay Street premises held an opening night including live music and free food.
It is the second year running that the village will be left without such a facility at Christmas.
Owner John Corrigan said: “We are going to be looking for new tenants. You need a lot of people to support the Village Inn, but for whatever reason people weren’t using it. All we can do is try and get the right operator on board and try and encourage villagers to use it.
“Fairlie has around a tenth of the population of Largs; and the Village Inn has been successful for in the village, and there is no reason why it can’t be successful again, but it is important that the community support it.”
Mr Corrigan admitted that one possibility in future is to look at a reduced week, with the Village Inn perhaps only opening from Thursdays to Sundays in future in order to keep overheads to a minimum.
He said: “A reduced offer could be a better offer, rather than having the place open all week and it is a waste of money, paying for staffing etc. and not getting any return. It is something which happens elsewhere, and it may be something we have to look to in future to keep the Village Inn viable. That might be the next option.”
The earliest records of the Village Inn appear in the Largs and Millport News in the 1870s when it was then referred to as ‘The Boag Inn’, although it was soon more familiarly known as The Village Inn and Mudhook. A special presentation celebrating its links to the former Fife boatyard across the street culminated in a plaque being unveiled around 1999.