Edinburgh's Most Loved Local Business revealed

EDINBURGH’S MOST LOVED LOCAL BUSINESS UNVEILED

The Mercat Bar is the Most Loved small business in Edinburgh and the second most popular business in the UK, according to a massive nationwide search run by TheBestOf to find the best local shops and companies in towns and cities across the UK.

The results of the 2 week campaign reveal that The Mercat Bar based in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, attracted a massive 526 personal recommendations from satisfied customers who raved about its great food and excellent service. This made it not only the local winner but also placed it second among the 30,000 UK-wide businesses nominated within the campaign.

The Mercat Bar is owned by Edinburgh resident of 30 years, Graham Blakie who bought the business in 2005.  With its stylish interior and freshly cooked gastro style food, this well known bar and restaurant has a welcoming atmosphere and is run by a well trained team who provide sterling customer service with a smile. 

Graham says: "It is fantastic to have received so many testimonials and see how much our customers appreciate the great food on offer and the welcoming atmosphere.  All my staff are highly trained, so we can provide that 'personal touch' meeting all our customers' needs.”

The 526 recommendations bestowed on the bar during the 14 day campaign included praise for its ‘first class food’, ‘excellent service’ and ‘friendly lively bar’.  Customers thought the menu of fresh, locally sourced food was varied and good value.  The breakfasts were particularly highly recommended!

“Graham is running a superb business, and should be rightly proud – but to be honest what’s been underscored again and again in this campaign is just how many fantastic local businesses there are in the UK today.  These business owners and their staff are the life-blood of our economy and it’s tremendous that they’ve been shown so much love. We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response from the people of Edinburgh who wrote so many glowing testimonials in support of local businesses”, says Brian Dennehy from TheBestOf Edinburgh, a comprehensive directory of Edinburgh’s best local businesses. 

The ‘14 Days of Love’ campaign from TheBestOf generated over 138,000 testimonials from the length and breadth of the country.  More than 30,000 businesses drawn from almost 400 towns and spanning every business type - from hairdressers, tattoo artists, fitness instructors and bridal stores through to bouncy castles, accountants, architects, solicitors - even dentists and funeral directors – all received nominations from adoring customers.

Nigel Botterill CEO of TheBestOf commented “Small business owners have kept our economy going over the last 18 months.  They employ millions of people, provide services that we all use and can have a massive impact on our quality of life – whether it’s delivering to customers out of hours, calling on older customers to check they’re ok or simply looking after their customers brilliantly.  In fact in our research one in five people say there is a small local firm they just can’t live without.  We wanted to give people the chance to throw the spotlight on these superb small businesses – and they have!”

A full list of the top 10 most loved businesses in Edinburgh and the city’s most active recommenders or ‘Lovers’ can be seen at www.thebestof.co.uk/loveometer.  The Top 100 most loved local businesses across the UK are also listed as well as top 5 businesses by category.