Commercial property agency for the hospitality sector, Drysdale & Company, has announced details of its latest hospitality business seeking a new owner – Victoria Square & The Orangery Restaurant in the King’s Park area of Stirling.

This VisitScotland Five Star Gold rated and award-winning business is situated within a detached Victorian villa. Complete with ten boutique style bedrooms plus staff accommodation, it includes a 32-cover restaurant. Externally, there are private gardens and a car park.

Rated No.1 on TripAdvisor for both accommodation, and as a restaurant, the business is offered for sale in walk in condition with no current upgrading required by a new owner. It is available for the freehold asking price of £1,350,000.  

Additional features in this charming property which has been sympathetically restored by present owners Phil and Kari Couser, include a residents’ lounge. The main breakfast/dining room can accommodate twenty covers, with an additional twelve covers in the Conservatory/Orangery extension. 

Staff accommodation consists of an attic apartment and lower ground floor level room that are presently used by two live-in members of staff.

The whole of the lower ground floor level was previously utilised as owners’ accommodation and includes an open plan kitchen and lounge area. As such there is potential to use some or all of the lower ground floor garden rooms as owners’ accommodation if a buyer wished to utilise the property for their own living purposes.

The current owners have run the business since 2013, opening initially as a seven letting room guest house before expanding to ten rooms in 2016.

A restaurant was added in 2019 and the business was rebranded as a restaurant with rooms in 2021. 2022/23 has been the first full year of trading in this model without interruption following the covid pandemic. The business has significant potential for growth based on a very strong and still growing reputation as one of the finest places in which to eat and stay in Stirling.

Updated trading information will be provided to serious parties on viewing the property.

Phil Couser explained the background to the sale: “Whilst we have no immediate plans to retire, and are open minded about new career and business opportunities, we decided to put the business on the market now because we always said it was important to sell when you are still on the way up. 

“We opened the restaurant side of the business just before the pandemic and this is the first year of running as a restaurant with rooms without interruption.  The accommodation side of the business is very well established, but there is still a lot of growth potential in the restaurant, building on its excellent and multiple rated reputation.

“We are very proud of what we have created here, Victoria Square being our first foray in hospitality. My wife Kari has led in the day-to-day management of the business, before this she had a career in education. I had a career as an army officer before switching to working in senior management within the NHS, which I continued to do until 2021. 

“Highlights for us have definitely been finishing the initial phase of refurbishment and taking satisfaction from returning the grandeur to a beautiful old building. 

“Secondly, unexpectedly being awarded our 5-star grading from Visit Scotland on our first inspection.  Thirdly and more recently, achieving the top spot in the Stirling area both for accommodation and as a restaurant on TripAdvisor.

“We will miss working with a great team of staff and, secondly, interacting with our diverse and international clientele. We wish any new owner well in their endeavours here.”