All pull
Thieves smashed down the door at McMillans restaurant and made off with the payphone one night last month. Brian McMillan reckons the intruders had intended to take everything in the restaurant, because they had used bolt-cutters on the wire perimeter fence to bring a lorry in. As the property is on a remote, country road, they might just have pulled it off, but the alarm did its job and the gang scarpered.
"It was Sunday night and they must have seen lots of cars [during the day] and reckoned there was lots of money inside, but we don't leave money on the premises," says Brian. "In fact, we leave the tills open to stop thieves breaking them."
At least it proved the security system works. More worrying is Raymond's health. In an unrelated incident, he had to be rushed to hospital following what first looked like a heart attack. Fortunately, he is on the mend, but he has had to go back into hospital for tests.
Because the restaurant is family-run, this puts a strain on everyone, emotionally and physically, as Raymond is unlikely to be full-time in the restaurant again for some time. Apart from his wife Rose, who works on reception and serves tables when needed, back-up includes Raymond's son-in-law and daughter, and Brian's daughter and a friend. Meanwhile, Raymond is staying on top of the paperwork at home.
"It's an effort to keep Raymond away and stop him lifting things," says Brian.
He is clearly worried about his brother and is under strain, but after 10 months of sharing the running of McMillans, Brian is now into his stride. At lunchtime, he says, he is only pushed if he has to cook for more than 40 customers. But the pressure rises on Sundays when the restaurant is open between noon and 8pm and he is averaging 70 to 80 covers. "If we do 60 it feels like an easy day," he says.
There's no danger of him resting on his laurels, however. Although lunchtime trade is now thriving, dinners need a boost, possibly because customers are coming in more for lunch and on Sundays.
"We only need to crack Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights," says Brian. "About 100 more diners would do us with the staff we have."
To do this, he's going to use the formula he's already tried and tested: a competitively priced set menu. The £5 lunch menu increased customer numbers from 165 in April to a record 850 in June, although that stabilised in August's holiday period to 443. On Sundays, the £9.95 menu can turn tables three times. For dinner, therefore, Brian will try a £10 two-course and £12.50 three-course menu, tailoring the menu to the price.
"If it's a success, then that's us," he says.
As for advertising the new dinner menu, Brian says he was tempted to put more signs up along the road, but Raymond stopped him. The pair are already risking the wrath of the Department of the Environment, which has told them to take down the lunch-for-a-fiver signs.
More customers might be expected, but expansion plans to accommodate them have been put on the back burner until Raymond, who is the DIY expert, is able to do the work himself.
This summer's bad weather has also prompted a rethink on the role of the 26-seat room fronting the patio. The brothers had hoped it would lend itself to barbecues and casual dining and had given it a modern decor, but this hasn't happened.
With the onset of winter, they want to change it to reflect the traditional character of the 32-seat room and may consider giving it an Irish theme, which, ironically, is unusual for that part of the world.
A year of being chained to the stove is getting to Brian, who has been determined to stay solo in the tiny kitchen for quality-control purposes. At last he has admitted to having withdrawal symptoms about not seeing his football team, Rangers, play for a year and is planning a trip to Glasgow one Wednesday. He'll bring his nephew into the kitchen for the night.
This is a big move for Brian, and he reckons that in the next three or four months he will consider bringing someone in to help in the kitchen full-time. Ideally, he would like to apprentice a young person.
"I'd love to bring someone in who really wants to learn the trade and be a chef," he says. "There's only a handful of restaurants around Belfast that use ingredients like wood pigeon, truffle oil or balsamic vinegar."
As Christmas approaches, Brian's workload can only get heavier. McMillans is already getting bookings for Christmas Day lunch, priced £30. Brian is reticent about opening because he is conscious it ruins the day for his children - aged six, 13 and 16 - not to mention his own grim memories of last year when he barely had time to eat.
What keeps him sane is the prospect of a family holiday in the Canary Islands in January, when they plan to close the restaurant for a week. "That's what I'm praying for," says Brian. "I even carry a map of Lanzarote in the car."
Next visit to McMillans: 15 October
