Kirkcaldy’s cafe culture: why our 'meet, eat & greet sector' is booming – and we should celebrate it

While some Facebook commentators herald each new opening with a wail of “oh no, not another one” they simply miss the point, which sums up so much of the tiresome debates that spin round in circles across the social media platform.

Announce something new, the naysayers immediately swoop like seagulls spotting a Greggs steak bake at 50 yards, and the folk putting time and effort into opening the doors must wonder why they bother, before then realising that the constant whining sound on Facebook is just tinnitus for the eyes. The real world has a very different approach.

Over the past couple of weeks, my wife and I have popped into a number of cafes, and every single one has been busy - so much so, two of them had no spare tables, and in the others we grabbed the last empty seats.

Tranquility up at Mitchelston is a delight to visit - as far removed from its industrial estate setting as you could imagine, and the food is excellent - while we’re looking forward to returning to Haven at the harbour, this time with a booking to secure a seat. Across the road at the Merchants House Cafe we’d barely sat down on Sunday when the queue which former behind us stretched out the door, while Harbourmaster’s House in Dysart was simply booked solid.

Sarah’s Italian Deli in Munro Street was a joy to visit, and the Spinning Top at the Adam Smith cafe serves up great good and a more than decent cappuccino, while Roots & Seeds has been a favourite for some time. Saturday morning saw us wait, with buzzer in hand, to get our table at The Bothy at the Buffalo Farm.

It’s easy to scoff at the notion Kirkcaldy has a cafe culture. News flash - it does, and why on earth shouldn’t it? Don’t let the Facebook whingers spoil what is a good thing.

The sector is bustling because lockdown changed everything, and one fundamental shift was how we eat out. Ask any hotel or restaurant owner and they will tell you people now dine out earlier, finish earlier and are often home by the time a previous generation would just be deciding what to order for dessert.

While they have had to adjust their business model, the cafe scene has been transformed.

As a kid, cafes were little more than egg and chips, and mugs of tea that could fortify an entire building site. Times have changed, and cafes are now places to socialise as well as enjoy good food. The late Dennis Alexander still summed it up best when he branded the Pancake Place as a place to “meet, eat and greet.”

Those four words should be lit up along the High Street and embedded in its approach to breathing new life into some decrepit, tired, abandoned former shops.

The cafes doing best are the ones with their own USPs as well as making people feel welcomed and not rushed. Working from home has isolated many people, people often don’t have family nearby, so our cafes have become vital social hubs; good food, warmth, good company or simply a chance to to sit and relax.

How many is too many? The market will have the final say, but, right now, they are busy places. Long may that continue. Maybe it’s time to launch our own Cafe Oscars ...