THE owner of Auchinleck's newest café says she is thrilled at how well "something different" in the village has been received.
Kelly Walker and her partner, Clyde Leitch, recently opened Boss Kitchen on Main Street.
The café has been open for less than a fortnight, after the pair, both from Auchinleck, set about transforming the building into a sit-in eatery back in January.
Having owned the building and previously rented it out, they decided to take the plunge and open up a business for themselves.
Kelly says she thinks it's somethingt hat Auchinleck needs.
She said: "There’s nowhere in Auchinleck like this. There’s places you can go for a meal or for a takeaway, but it doesn’t have a sit-in place for folk to come together, have a wee blether and have a coffee.
"We own the property and we had rented it out. It became available at the beginning of the year and we just decided to bite the bullet and open the café.
"The idea had kind of been brewing for a few months. It was actually Clyde’s idea to go ahead with it.
"It’s been a long time coming with the renovations. It took us about six months to get the place the way we wanted it.
"It felt like a long process and the end was never in sight, but the end result has been so worth it.
"I felt like I was designing my living room throughout it when was picking colours and stuff like that."
The café is open from Wednesday through to Monday each week, and is available for sit-in, takeaways and pre-orders.
Kelly said that her and her dedicated team of staff have been kept going since the minute they opened the shutters.
She added: "We’ve had customers of all ages. It’s kind of like a wee hub for some of them.
"The support has been amazing. I think Auchinleck is like that anyway.
"I didn’t think for a minute we would’ve been as busy as we have been. One Friday we actually had a queue out the door.
"From the first minute we’ve been kept going and it’s really appreciated."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here