Family-run cafe closes on Royal Mile over lack of tourists

A family-run cafe which has operated on the Royal Mile for 12 years has been forced to close for good due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cafe Truva was opened in 2008 by the Bayraktar family to serve a Turkish and Mediterranean menu.

Catrina Bayraktar, 54, and her husband Eddie, 58, said it was a “huge wrench” to close the cafe in August as generations of their family have worked there since it opened.

The cafe usually caters to large numbers of tourists in its prime spot on the Canongate, and the Bayraktar family found that their absence during the Covid-19 lockdown was having too great an effect on the business.

In such a prominent part of the city the family was being charged a “ridiculous” rent, which they were not seeing a return on.

“The rent there is completely ridiculous, and without the Edinburgh festival or tourists there’s no way we could sustain it there,” said Ms Bayraktar.

“It’s a very sad thing that is happening in the high street. All the rents are being inflated by one landlord playing off another one, it has got completely out of hand.”

Ms Bayraktar and her husband closed up the cafe for the last time with their sons Rasim, 21, Kerem, 19 and Ardal, 17.

They have all worked in the cafe, with Rasim now working for the family business full time, and Kerem and Ardal working regular shifts alongside university and college study.

"It’s a terrible shame because it’s been very much part of our family’s life for 12 years. My children all grew up there and they all work for us, it was their first jobs. It’s a big wrench for us,” said Ms Bayraktar.

"Throughout the years of us being there my nieces and nephews have all worked there when they were at uni and college, it has been very much a family business.

The family operate two other Cafe Truvas in the city, one at the Shore, which they opened in 1998, and another on Lady Lawson Street which they opened in 2011.

All were closed during the Covid-19 lockdown, but the Shore cafe re-opened in July, at first to offer takeaway, then with tables outside, and then finally with tables inside laid out to arrange more space than usual between them.

The family plan to keep operating both cafes, and hope to open the Lady Lawson street branch at the end of August. As it usually caters to office workers, students and tourists they have not yet seen a return of their customer base.

However, the cafe at the Shore has so far being doing good business since it reopened.

"So far since our cafe at the Shore has opened it is doing well,” said Ms Bayraktar.

"It’s nice to see – people are wanting to come back to local places I think, and support local businesses. I’m hoping it can continue that way and that people do support local businesses.”

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