At long last someone has finally been able to research and run a story similar to an ‘Easter Egg’ placed in one of our posts here
We said:-
The Lockkeepers Inn was packed to the rafters. That isn’t really that hard as it’s quite small inside. On a business front I would say it would be quite hard to turn a profit on that site with the limited space available. Rent would need to be quite low I would guess?
Thankfully those with insurance cover for libel were able to join the dots, and the Belfast Telegraph get the ‘It took you all long enough‘ award for their piece here, which correctly outlines the practical assistance that Kirk McCambley enjoyed from Castlereagh Borough Council, namely no rent for 7 months worth around £4000 and free kitchen fit out worth almost £6500.
Hold on a second….. but that doesn’t sit well with what Kirk told Spotlight, namely that he had invested the £45k in kitchen equipment, got the furniture sorted out and had opening costs. Methinks he would have needed to have hired Martha Stewart to design the interior, and got Paris Hilton to open the place to do £45k in. I have been to the Lockkeepers and it is no extravagant interior designers pet project. There are no platinum mixer taps or diamond light fittings. There are about 10 tables max in it, so furniture wouldn’t break the bank. Of course I accept that a business needs working capital, but that isn’t what Kirk said to Spotlight and no-one forced him to say what he said. He either sticks by what he said or clarifies the matter.
I still think there is more to come on the issue of rent, as the level of rent seems WAY too low, esp if the business turned over £250k in year one.
I am also intrigued as to why if the cafe is doing so well that Kirk McCambley needed to get Andrew Adair to buy into the business, and hasn’t paid back the £5000 outstanding to Ken Campbell? Surely the business was making more than enough to make the payback to Campbell within a few months, and there should have been no NEED for an investor to buy in to pay Fred Frazer’s estate and Ken Campbell? It really doesn’t add up.
I am going to make a prediction here, and the Iris Robinson haters in the Irish republican, LGBT and atheist lobbies may not like it as Kirk McCambley is their dragon slayer ; he may lose this business over what has been said and done in the past. Then again I am sure that there are going to be many people who will stump up to help Kirk out financially, not least of which is one Sunday paper who is very interested in his story.
His partner may have paid £20k for not very much for a half share of the business if that happens, so if I were him I would be seeking legal advice on my position in case the lease is renegotiated or not renewed. The DUP members on the Council will probably be keen to make Kirk McCambley pay the going rate for rent given their desire to repay Kirk for the trouble he has visited on their party. Or at the very least the council are going to have to maximise the return for the ratepayers of Castlereagh, and that means charging a revised rent at the earliest legal opportunity.
And before anyone starts saying that I am a Kirk McCambley hater, I am not, if you look at my comments here you will see that I was bigging Kirk’s business skills up against the grain. I am interested in what the people say, why they say it and whether it is true or not. I am interested in the evidence.
I am also not averse to criticizing Iris Robinson either and wonder what the money laundering authorities have to say about the £5000 that Iris Robinson allegedly received in cash from Kirk McCambley.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Are you a business person? Do you have any idea the cost of catering equipment? Business start-up costs? Or do you just like to throw out innuendo and allow that to back-up your very weak arguments?
Glad that the post struck a nerve enough for you to comment.
Yes I am a business person, and know a lot about leasing, purchasing and getting best value for any product used in my business. I also know about business start up costs.
However I don’t know much about having an affair with an ‘angel’ who waves a magic wand and makes £50k appear from two developers.
I also know that if a kitchen has already been fitted out it doesn’t need fitted out again. It is a bijou cafe and not a 200 table restaurant after all, so it’s not like Castlereagh did part of it and Kirk did the other part.
I wasn’t the person on Spotlight making comments about what the £45k was used for at a time before Castlereagh Borough Council gave a version of events that seemed to contradict what Kirk McCambley said on Spotlight.
I fail to see how drawing this to my reader’s attention can be a weak argument?