Portobello pub forced to cancel breakfast service after noise complaints

A POPULAR Portobello bar and restaurant has been forced to fold their breakfast menu after dozens of complaints from neighbouring residents.
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The Espy on Bath Street had been offering their much-loved morning menu for ten years before the noise pollution complaints saw owner Amanda Caygill shelve the busy breakfast service.

She said: “All the breakfast deliveries came in too early. I asked the suppliers to change the times but it didn’t work.

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“You get worn down by the complaints and I decided to stop the breakfasts.”

Amanda Caygill who owns the Espy and other bars / restaurantsAmanda Caygill who owns the Espy and other bars / restaurants
Amanda Caygill who owns the Espy and other bars / restaurants

After trying to change suppliers so that deliveries would arrive at a reasonable hour, Amanda gave in to pressure and now only offers bacon rolls to her hungry punters instead of the former menu that featured eggs benedict, full fry-ups and Mexican-inspired huevos rancheros.

Disappointed Amanda, who lives above the beachside pub, understands the frustrations of her neighbours who formed a group to lodge a series of complaints against the business.

She said: “I told them I would do everything I could to make sure the noise was reduced but it would take a couple of weeks to get sorted. I had to source different suppliers and re-cost and change the menu.”

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Neighbouring businesses have had similar complaints directed towards them, Amanda told the Evening News, but she is the first to make the radical change. She said: “It’s not nice when your neighbours don’t like you.”

Breakfast has been cancelled. Noise complaints have resulted in the Espy cancelling their much-loved menu. Picture; GoogleBreakfast has been cancelled. Noise complaints have resulted in the Espy cancelling their much-loved menu. Picture; Google
Breakfast has been cancelled. Noise complaints have resulted in the Espy cancelling their much-loved menu. Picture; Google

Amanda had previously changed suppliers in an attempt to ease tensions but she found that the wholesale companies always preferred to deliver early in the morning.

She said: “I really tried so hard to make it work. It has been very stressful. The glass bins are emptied at around 4am every morning and every time I think, ‘I’m going to get so many complaints’.”

Two staff members have left after losing the breakfast-shift hours and now Amanda is trying to think of other ways to make up lost revenue as a result of stopping the popular menu.

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Regular customers have been left disappointed by the move, with some offering to help appeal the decision. Jeanne Kocemba said: “What rubbish. I lived opposite then above The Espy for eight years and was never bothered by the noise. I even got used to the sound of recycled glass.”

Amanda added: “A lot of customers are very upset and want me to fight it but I don’t see any point in flogging a dead dog. I really do want to keep the peace and make sure everyone is happy.”

Last year, The Espy faced a 436 per cent rates rise before it was capped at 12.5 per cent.

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