Mill & Brae: Gary McCaw talks us through the new hotel
Claire Elliott finds out how new owners Gemma and Gary transformed the former Gleniffer Hotel into Mill & Brae, the town’s trendiest bar, restaurant and venue
The old Gleniffer Hotel was the site of many a wedding, birthday party or even high school prom. The Paisley institution has seen countless celebrations over the years, but recently, husband and wife duo Gary and Gemma McCaw have strived to breathe a new lease of life into the much-loved venue.
“Mill & Brae came about off the back of the Gleniffer Hotel, which we then aptly named The Gleniffer,” Gary says. “We wanted to hold on to the roots of what The Gleniffer was and not alienate people that were local to it, but we quickly realised that people didn’t associate it with being food-led, or coffee-oriented. So, we felt we had to give it a rejig on the outside, a refurb on the inside and a new name.”
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The couple wanted to stay true to the venue’s roots in their search for its new name, going back and forward on a myriad of Paisley-related options.
“All of my other businesses have names with Paisley connotations, and it was my wife Gemma who said, “What about the Brazen Mill? I said no, you can’t use the word brazen, what about Mill & Brae?” Gary continues, “that’s where it’s positioned in Paisley – the sort of halfway point between the braes and the mills.”
No stranger to the town’s restaurant scene, Gary was the former part-owner of old Paisley favourite Saporito. However, the restaurateur came from humble beginnings working as a Sunday boy in his family’s bakery from the ripe age of 13. In his mid-twenties, he decided he had had enough and went to study civil engineering at university, but fate had different ideas for Gary as he progressed from a roll shop to an Italian restaurant and now, his pride and joy that is the Mill & Brae.
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“That’s how I got back into hospitality,” he recalls of the experience. “I never ended up using the civil engineering degree.”
Many will remember the town’s pubs and eateries transforming in an effort to stay afloat during the pandemics. Sure enough, Gary and Gemma are no strangers to that struggle, having taken over the venue in 2020 amidst ever-changing government guidelines for businesses.
“We took over what was the old Gleniffer Hotel at the start of Covid. It was a newly renovated venue and it was an opportunity that myself and Gemma couldn’t refuse. We had never worked together on anything like that,” he says of the couple’s ambitious venture. “It really was a challenge for the first two or three years because in the beginning, the restrictions meant we opened with a marquee in the beer garden and 24 picnic benches out the back. The first few weekends were a nightmare, slowly but surely we got there.”
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And get there they did. To those who haven’t visited the venue since its refurbishment, it would be virtually unrecognisable. With the option of enjoying your drinks, dinner or dessert under the bar and restaurant’s beautiful indoor cherry blossom tree, it’s evident that little expense was spared in Gary and Gemma’s efforts to revamp the space into a beautiful, modern haven.
“People know that they’re coming in for a quality experience, but not necessarily breaking the bank. I’d say that’s our tagline now,” Gary jokes, “the cost of living side of things was very important to us when we re-did Mill & Brae, so that you can come in and be in a five-star environment on a budget.”
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The space provides a relaxing and up-market atmosphere for patrons to enjoy not only lunch and dinner but breakfast or cakes – supplied by Gary’s other business A&A Bakers – the very same bakery once owned by his parents where Gary earned his keep as a young boy.
“I was a bit cynical about stocking the cakes in the hotel,” he remarks, “but people seem to love it. We really do go through a lot of stuff.”
On the changes that were most important to the couple to implement, Gary highlights the inclusion of an expansive gluten-free menu, which he’s extremely proud of.
“I always say that the cider drinkers control where you drink based on where does Strongbow, but it’s the gluten-free people who control where you eat,” he laughs. “We’re really proud of being able to offer good gluten-free options, because it’s not easy when you can’t eat in a place. Our vegan options are something we’re working on, there’ll be lots more of them coming in the autumn.”
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One could actually be forgiven for forgetting that Mill & Brae still functions as a hotel, too. However, by Gary’s own admission, the six rooms see such loyal residents that he and Gemma don’t feel that they need to “shout about them”.
“Our bedrooms are actually really well-subscribed. We have over 80% occupancy rate 12 months to the year,” Gary says, “people really do make Mill & Brae a home when they’re visiting from abroad. It’s really nice to know.”
With regards to what may be next for Gary and his business ventures, he says that the Mill & Brae team are excited to continue running more and more events – but also to watch Paisley continue to expand and thrive.
“Paisley has always had its mainstays like Allan’s, Cardosi’s and Castelvecchi,” he reflects. “These are cornerstones that have always worked and delivered good, consistent, quality products in the town.
“Nowadays you’ve got the up-and-coming places like Paisley Pie Co. and Roasters. If you’d asked me 13 years ago whether these places would have worked I’d have said absolutely not, but Paisley has definitely progressed a lot, and people are no longer scared to push the boundaries.”
Mill & Brae, 9 Glenburn Road, Paisley, PA2 8TA, 0141 884 2670, website.