Inverness eatery Utopia Café which has been ‘extremely quiet’ since neighbouring Hilton fire warns it ‘could close’ unless trade improves
A much-loved Inverness café which has been “extremely quiet” since it reopened following a devastating neighbouring fire has warned that it “could be forced to close for good” unless trade improves.
Taking to its social media channels this week, the Utopia Café in Hilton urged people to “show love and support” to the city’s independents amid pressure on the area’s “already depleted hospitality and retail scene”.
The café, which is run by Kevin Paterson, was closed for almost a month back in the summer after a major fire in a flat within the same terrace in Tomatin Road left local man Andy Adams dead and caused significant damage to several properties.
Although the Utopia Café was less damaged than some of the other properties in the block, it was not able to reopen until almost a month later, on August 8.
And in an update this week, the team have urged the public to show some love and support after highlighting how quiet trade has continued to be in the months since it reopened its doors.
Posting on Instagram, the cafe’s team said: “As quite often happens, things are very slow the following day after we have to unexpectedly close. This is lunch time and we're almost empty. Now is the perfect time to race in for a bit of speedy scran!
“I guess you could say this is a gentle reminder to show love and support to the businesses, especially the small independents, that you want to continue to have a presence on the already depleted hospitality and retail scene here in Inverness.
“Add to that the backdrop of us being extremely quiet since we've reopened following the fire, there isn't many more days like this we'll be able to shoulder before we could be forced to close for good. We've already had to cut the amount of staff we employ, the amount of hours and now our wastage bill is through the roof. This is all while costs of operating continue to rise and out turnover falls, so it's not the combination we've been hoping for.
“Lots of us are struggling at the moment and could do with a little bit of a boost, so please do keep us in mind this holiday season when you're on your adventures.
“Big love, Team Utopia x”
The café first opened its doors more than four years ago and fast became a favourite within the Inverness food scene due to its fresh, local goods. It closed briefly in 2023 before reopening in February of this year.
Its subsequent reopening in late February was accompanied by an outpouring of support from the city’s food fans, with hundreds of people taking to socials to voice their delight - with comments ranging from “best news ever” to others saying it was a favoured eatery of theirs and they were looking forward to returning.
That momentum was hit by the fire just months later, and although its reopening was also hailed by the community, its comments about slow trade since its return led to this week’s post on Instagram.
