They suffered floods, fires and a last-minute bout of vandalism just weeks before the long-awaited reopening of their Bridge of Allan restaurant. 

Against all odds, last month Nick and Julia Nairn welcomed customers old and new through their doors as Nick’s, now Nairn's, returned to Henderson Street, two years after the original venue was engulfed in flames.

It’s been a busy start for the team thanks to support from loyal regulars, with the couple also announcing the return of their Port of Menteith cook school in October after extensive work to repair flood damage caused by a burst pipe. 

All of this should serve as endless cause for celebration, offering a sense of relief after years of turmoil, and yet Nick has this week delivered a stark warning that the toughest challenges are still to come. 

READ MORE: Chef Nick Nairn shares how he is bouncing back from his 'annus horribilis'

"At the moment,” he said while en route to another lively lunch service, “the hospitality industry is not a great place to be.” 

“Although this was a reopening, Nairn’s is essentially a brand new business and taking that on is an extremely expensive and time-consuming thing to do. 

“I’ll be honest here and say that financially, it has been a huge stretch. 

“We were always determined to reopen, but there were a few dark hours where we questioned the sanity of what we were doing. 

“Getting here has been a hard road and now there’s a lot of making up to do.” 

The bleak confession may seem at odds with the buzz surrounding the restaurant’s reopening and the well-publicised plans to expand his business portfolio even further with two new retail stores in the coming months. 

But, after decades at the forefront of the country’s hospitality industry, Nick knows all too well that trouble can begin to brew beneath the surface at a restaurant long before others take notice. 

“I’ve been trading as a restauranteur for over 35 years, and I’ve never seen a more challenging set of conditions than we have at the moment,” he continued. 

“Times have changed. 

“People used to work extra hours because of their passion, but after covid lockdowns, they don’t want to work the insane shifts that are traditional in our industry. 

“With wage costs, food, materials and utilities, we’ve seen some staggering increases. 

"The price of vegetable oil, for example, has virtually tripled in one year and our energy bill is insane."

Acknowledging a shift from the infamously volatile kitchen environments of old, Nick has said that he is more than willing to offer his staff a fair wage as well as mentoring opportunities and on-shift meals in an effort to ease the strain of the cost-of-living crisis.  

After witnessing ‘a revolution’ in Scotland’s restaurant scene during his formative years as a chef, the 64-year-old now has questioned why no government support is being offered for those who are struggling to maintain the standards that can only be achieved when a venue is generating a sustainable profit. 

He said: “I’ve fought hard for the hospitality industry in Scotland over the years because when I started out, it wasn’t great. 

“There were a few beacons leading the way, but in general we lagged behind the rest of the UK. 

“Then there was this revolution which meant we had the best restaurants, chefs and ingredients. 

“People would come to Scotland knowing they would have a fantastic meal or hospitality experience and we had this amazingly vibrant hotel and restaurant economy. 

“That has all changed thanks to this perfect storm of mounting pressures. 

“I have been saying for months that changes could be made to help stabilise the industry. 

“A reduction in VAT, for example, would make such a massive difference.  

“If we don’t do something soon, we’re going to lose a big chunk of our hard-won business.” 

The urgent caution from the chef who is known for being the youngest to have brought a Michelin Star to Scotland seems all the more timely given a recent string of closures from restaurants that had been considered steadfast pillars of Scotland's food scene.

Just last month, Brian Maule’s Le Chardon d’or announced the shock news of its closure as the chef ruefully revealed that the ‘financial burdens of the new normal’ had forced his hand after 22 years in Glasgow city centre. 

READ MORE: Brian Maule at Le Chardon d'Or premises for sale

Suggesting that this could well be the tip of the iceberg Nick continued: “At the moment a lot of people are putting on a brave face and trading without making a profit in the hopes that things will improve. 

“Instead of training chefs on the basics like making stocks or sauces, restaurants will soon have to start buying things in which will inevitably result in a major de-skilling of the industry. 

“The pressure is so intense that even for us the thought of cutting corners to save money is never far away. 

“People think that because both our restaurants are busy and have a high turnover we’re sitting on a pile of cash. 

“But we’re by no means making a fortune and, like most others, still have debts to write off after getting through the pandemic.  

“We’re hanging on in there like everyone else.” 

READ MORE: 'We tried our very best': 'Outstanding' Italian restaurant to close after four years

One solution that Nick hopes will ease the pressures on his own businesses is a move to operate his own fish mongers and butchers at the soon-to-be-opened Cook by Nick retail store on Bridge of Allan's high street.  

By cutting out the middleman, his team will be able to directly source fresh produce each morning which will then be either sold over the counter, used for cookery masterclasses or served later that night as a special at their restaurants. 

Better yet, it will offer them the opportunity to give back to the town that offered unwavering support during two years of hard graft to resurrect Nairn's. 

He said: “Helping to create a vibrant high street which will give people a reason to visit Bridge of Allan is hugely important to us. 

“We joke about retirement sometimes, but I don’t think either of us really knows what that looks like. 

“We’ve had some amazing feedback since reopening and the overwhelming sentiment is that people are delighted to see us back. 

“In the end, it was very emotional to see our regular customers coming after two years. 

“It might seem a little boring after fires and floods, but at the moment we’re glad to have both restaurants doing well and would welcome a few years of stability. 

“In this industry, you never take that for granted.” 

Nairn's is located at 28 Henderson Street in Bridge of Allan with Cook by Nick and Home by Julia scheduled to open next month.