Glasgow has always been known as a good destination for a night out, and has even toyed with appointing its own night tsar to maintain and promote its evening and night-time economy. One of the key factors that has been attracting both residents and visitors to spend money in the city recently though has been the rise in the number of independent places to eat.

According to our analysis, in 2019 11 new independent restaurants or cafés opened in Glasgow, making up 70 per cent of all new food and beverage (F&B) openings last year. This proportion was up from a 63 per cent share in 2018.

Highlight independent openings from last year include Sugo, the eagerly awaited new pasta restaurant on Mitchell Street and sister restaurant to Paesano;  Mikaku, the city's first Japanese izakaya-style restaurant; and Mezcal, a new Mexican taqueria and bar on Hope Street.

We shouldn’t forget the national operators, though. We also saw The Ivy opening its doors on Buchanan Street in July 2019 as part of the iconic London West End theatre restaurant’s nationwide roll-out. Cheaper, but no less cheerful, brands which welcomed new customers in Glasgow last year also included Nandos, German Donner Kebab, Benihana, Kokoro and Project Pizza. With Franco Manca, Mowgli, Pho and Wolf rumoured to be arriving in 2020, locals have a wide array of cuisines and concepts to choose from.  

But why is Glasgow’s restaurant scene thriving, particularly with independents? It’s partly to do with their business plans. Independents are generally more cautious about how quickly they grow compared with some of the larger chains. Many independents have been priced out of premium rental locations and instead are opting for smaller units in quirky locations often in buildings with architectural character which are lower in rent, but still close enough to the centre to attract customers. Glasgow’s property market offers such locations and once one independent restaurant has opened and posted positive figures, it gives others the confidence to enter the market, leading to a positive snowball effect.

One of the other F&B trends we also expect to see this year is a growth in Glasgow’s pubs sector. This market has been slower to expand than restaurants in the past couple of years, so arguably there is now more room for it to grow before it reaches a saturation point. We know Mitchells & Butlers, one of UK’s largest pub businesses, is actively looking for sites in Scotland. The Savills team is currently advising them, and we expect others to follow.

Further information

Read more: Savills Scotland Alba 2020