History

The Loch Fyne business started life as a small oyster bar on the banks of the loch – a venture by Johnny Noble, the owner of the Ardkinglas Estate on the west coast of Scotland, and his colleague Andy Lane – a fish farmer and biologist. 

Both men were oyster enthusiasts, and they began by growing oysters in the loch and selling them to restaurants all over the UK.  They then opened their own oyster bar in 1988 and, as the restaurant’s reputation grew, tourists from all over the UK commented on how popular the concept would be ‘back home’. 

In 1990 the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar opened in Nottingham and two years later in Elton, near Peterborough.  Towards the end of the nineties, Johnny and Andy began to look for partners to develop the restaurants and were joined by two restaurant entrepreneurs, Ian Glyn and Mark Derry. In 1998 Loch Fyne Restaurants was founded.

There are now 38 Loch Fyne Restaurants across the UK, as well as the original Oyster Bar that has developed to include a highly successful shop and is now a major tourist attraction in its own right.

Key Dates:

1978: Johnny Noble and Andy Lane meet and discuss the idea of growing oysters in the loch

1979-1980: after several unsuccessful attempts, Gigas oysters are grown in the loch

1982: Loch Fyne smokehouse opens

1988: The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar opens in Cairndow

1990: The first restaurant opens south of the border

1998: Mark Derry and Ian Glyn join the team and launch the Loch Fyne Restaurants business

2002: 10 restaurants are open

2007: 38 restaurants open