A popular Dumbarton cafe celebrates its 30th anniversary this month - with its owner admitting it’s been a labour of love.
Scruples on Wallace Street was opened in 1992 by hairdressers Helen Mackenzie and Aileen Murray, who were frustrated at the lack of options for lunch in Dumbarton’s east end.
Since then it’s become one of the town’s best loved hidden gems - serving up thousands of home cooked meals, hot drinks and sweet treats to locals and tourists alike.
However Helen, 60, revealed that the enterprising duo were very much learning on the job when they opened their doors.
She explained: “We couldn’t get anything to eat along this area. There was really nothing here other than a corner shop at that time. There was no supermarket, just a wee Presto in the corner.
“I was a hairdresser, Aileen and I ran The Crop Shop in Dumbarton East. But there was nowhere for us to grab something to eat.
“That’s what made us decide to do it, with no experience whatsoever.
“I think we were young and stupid!
“Everything was a learning curve. We went into it quite blind. It’s taken us a long time to feel okay with it.
“It was a labour of love. When you start something and put money into it you have to try and make it a success.
“I think we were a bit crazy and thought, why not?
“It’s always fun getting a business together at the start. Until you ask, what are we actually doing here?!”
Despite Scruples being a fixture in Dumbarton East for three decades, Helen said that many locals are still taken by surprise when they stumble across it.
She continued: “It fascinates me. People in Dumbarton still don’t know where we are. But tourists can find us, which is bizarre.
“All the time people from Dumbarton come in and say they didn’t know we were here - I tell them it’s 30 years we’ve been here for now and they are amazed!
“We had someone from Barcelona in last week who found us on Google and thought it looked nice.
“This summer the tourists are coming back again.
“We’ve had a lot over the last few weeks which is always really nice.
“It’s great chatting to people who come from different places to visit the area.
“The customers are definitely the best bit, as are the staff.
“I’ve had the same staff for years and I love working with them.”
And over the decades Helen has noticed a notable change in eating habits - which she believes is generational.
She explained: “I think a lot more people eat out now. When we first started people didn’t spend the same money on food and eating out.
“Young people nowadays certainly eat out a lot more.
“We sell loads of homemade soup and things like that. I don’t know whether people don’t cook as much and it’s handier for them, or if they feel as if they are getting something their mum and gran used to make.
“We’re not fast food. We cook everything to order. We don’t hot hold anything.
“We pride ourselves on cooking everything freshly.”
