Popular Kirkcaldy coffee shop under new ownership

MacGregor’s coffee shop in Tolbooth Street is launching tomorrow (Thursday) after taking over the premises which had been occupied by Robertson’s.

The new business is owned by Lizy MacGregor and Andre Mans who have taken over the coffee shop from Gill and Graham Robertson The move comes after Gill and Graham decided to sell the business after eight years in the town and take early retirement.

Lizy and Andre are business partners from Rosyth and have worked together before. Andre said when they saw the opportunity to buy a coffee shop in Kirkcaldy, they knew it had potential.

He said: “After a year’s sabbatical that strangely coincided with the pandemic and lockdown, I did not want to go back into the corporate hospitality sector. So Lizy and I started looking at the opportunities available in Fife. We started looking at businesses for sale and Robertson’s was one of a few we considered.

"It appealed to us as it was a neat little business that had potential to grow and expand on what Gill and Graham had already developed.I have operated a number of different catering and hospitality outlets in my career both corporately as well as privately owned. Lizy too has worked in a number of customer facing roles.

“We live in Rosyth. We are familiar with Kirkcaldy but had not considered opening a shop there. It was really the opportunity to grow and expand that attracted us to Robertson’s.”

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He revealed their plans for the coffee shop: “As we come out of lockdown we will keep MacGregor’s as a coffee shop. Our plan is to expand the menu at lunchtime and also to look at expanding the event side of the business.

"We are also really passionate about showcasing some local suppliers. So we are using local bakers, butchers and our coffee is roasted in Kirkcaldy. We are really keen to not only have a thriving business but also to contribute to the local community.”

Meanwhile, Gill and Graham said while they are sad to sell the business, they felt it was the right time.

Gill said: “After eight years of not only working in the business but also running it, it’s time for a rest and look forward to a slower pace of life and enjoy more family life, while we are still young.

“We have been thinking about retiring over the past couple of years, but the pandemic helped us to take stock and gave us a taste of having more time to ourselves which helped us decide.

"We have so many brilliant memories from our time at Robertson’s, making so many new friends in both our staff and customers.

“We have also enjoyed watching our staff develop into a very loyal, skilled, supportive team and winning national awards for best coffee shop across the central belt.

"We will miss our staff and customers, particularly our regulars who have supported us over the years, bringing their families from all over the world into Robertson’s for breakfast and seeing all their families grow up.”

Graham added: “We would like to thank all our wonderful staff and loyal customers for all their support and friendship over the years.”

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