Easter Ross couple expand Coyote restaurant venture to prime city centre spot in Highland capital
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Coyote's has officially opened its new premises in a prime location in the city centre, overlooking the River Ness.
Having previously been based on Academy Street, the popular burger joint had outgrown the small space – that only had six tables – and is now in the large premises that was formerly a Jimmy Chung’s on Bank Street.
The restaurant will now be able to sit around 84 people, with a bar area for 20, and will keep its menu with all its regulars' favourites in place. It has also teamed up with Black Isle Brewery, to provide draft beer on tap, along with a range of other spirits.
Coyote's owners Fern Alexander (33) and David Brown (34) are excited about this new venture and have spent the last five months getting the place refurbished for opening.
Ms Alexander said: “We got really busy with our burgers during Covid and lots of people were ordering takeaway.
“When we opened up again we soon realised we needed more space as we only had the six tables!
“People can now come in for birthdays and parties and with bigger groups of people.”
The pair had been looking at bigger venues for a while, but finally got the keys to the new premises in October 2022.
Mr Brown, said: “Fern’s dad painted the whole place for us, so he is having a well earned rest now! We had great trades people work with us and we are really pleased with how it has turned out.”
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The premises has a stamp of both Ms Alexander and Mr Brown’s personality on it, with posters of their favourite bands on the walls, funky lighting, and a specially curated playlist to give the venue a ‘gig-type’ feel.
The most important part of the restaurant for the owners is providing high quality food and service. With five-star ratings on Trip Advisor, the duo are keen to ensure that customers still receive this high standard that they are used to.
Ms Alexander said: “High quality is so important to us, both in the kitchen and out the front. We are really happy that this has come with us to the new venue, and customers were pleased last night when they came in.
“We keep our quality by having our small menu and ensuring everything is done to the highest standard.”
The duo from Alness have come a long way since they opened up in 2019, originally serving doughnuts and coffee, to where they are today.
“We went outside to have a look at the place last night, and thought ‘wow that is pretty cool!’ We wanted to bring something to Inverness that we would like to go to if were somewhere”, said Ms Alexander.
“This place has been empty for so long, so it is nice to see it used!”
Mr Brown added: “Without our customers or staff we wouldn’t be where we are today, so a big thank you!”
Coyote's will be open seven days a week and it has expanded its opening hours to 11am – 10pm in order to bring a later night eating option to the city centre.
