A leading Edinburgh restaurateur has said "sorry won’t cut it" as businesses continue to be affected by ongoing tram disruptions following a fire on Princes Street last month.
Road closures following the blaze at 109-112 Princes Street means that all tram services to the north and east of the city have been cancelled until at least mid-August.
“Funny how the thing you moan about for years is the thing you miss the second it's gone,” Leandro Crolla, a director of Vittoria Hospitality Group, said on LinkedIn.
“Genuinely never thought there'd be a day I'd miss Edinburgh Trams not running, but here we are.”
He added: “I was one who said they weren't worth it; turns out I was wrong. Leith's feeling them being off right now. Footfall's down, and it's hitting the small independents hardest - right at the start of Fringe, when they need it least.”
The Crolla family have operated restaurants in the capital for more than fifty years, including flagships Vittoria on the Walk on Leith Walk and Vittoria on the Bridge on George the IV Bridge.
The family also owns Taste of Italy, Brunswick Book Club, Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips and Landy’s.
In July, the group opened the first Amorino gelato shop in Scotland, bringing the international brand to North Bridge.
In his LinkedIn post, Mr Crolla added: “We've got a space at the front of Brunswick Book Club that's usually full of suitcases - people heading to the airport, or waiting on a room to be ready. It's quiet just now.
‘’Sorry’ doesn't really cut it for the businesses losing out over this. Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's not there.”
Award-winning chef Dean Banks has expressed similar concerns, telling The Herald last week that revenue at his seafood restaurant Dulse on Constitution Street in Leith had plummeted by 60% since the fire on July 9.
“The fire is no one’s fault, but it was always a question of when not if Princes Street would close for some reason or another. So how is there no plan,” he asked at the time.
“If an artery has been cut off, why is there not a rates relief,” he went on to say.
“As a business owner myself, there should be relief. They have just raised business rates and council tax - where is the money going?”
City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher is expected to meet with Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth on Wednesday to discuss the details of any financial aid the government can provide in response to the fire.
Last week, the Scottish Government refused to commit to a funding package for the city, despite allocating £10 million to Glasgow City Council following the March 2026 blaze near Central Station.
Read more:
- 'Painstaking' work being carried out to secure fire-hit building on Princes Street
- 'Not a practical solution': Transport boss kiboshes plan to move trams via lorry
- 'The Shore is open': Call to support Leith businesses amid trams disruption
Speaking at the time, Transport and Environment Convener Stephen Jenkinson said the council is doing everything it can to reopen Princes Street as soon as "it is safe to do so".
“In the meantime,” he added, “We’re focussed on minimising disruption across the network, alongside Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.
"For Leith specifically, bus services continue, and we’ve increased the number of Voi e-bike parking locations and hires available. I’d encourage everyone to visit the area and support the fantastic local businesses there.
”I fully recognise how challenging and frustrating this period has been for our residents, businesses and visitors and they have my thanks for their continued patience."
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