Owners of the popular Victory Cafe, Benn and Vicky Quirk, have announced a radical restructuring of their business, abandoning a potential sale and moving to a new model from March.
The couple, who had previously signalled their intention to sell, confirmed they received offers after an extensive marketing process. However, they have chosen to decline them all.
In a detailed statement, the Quirks explained their decision, citing severe industry pressures.
“The hospitality sector is facing EXTREMELY difficult economic challenges, including significant increases in ingredient costs and operational expenses,” they said.
They noted these were “compounded by upcoming rises in minimum wage and the resulting substantial increase in Employers’ National Insurance contributions,” concluding the offers did not reflect the cafe’s “true market value.”
Scale
Instead of selling, the Quirks will scale back the cafe’s public opening hours from a five-day week as of December 21.
“Firstly, we need to cut the wheat from the chaff. I CANNOT AND WILL NOT bear the bloody road closures to the extent that we have in 2025,” they said, calling the process of cancelling staff hours “DEEPLY DISTRESSING.”
The new plan will see a “Sunday Cafe only for a premium cafe experience” from March 1, with extended hours.
The business will pivot towards an “Exclusive Events Focus,” specifically targeting motorsport-related functions, private events and corporate bookings.
“We really hope that this weekly commitment shows how much we value our regular cafe goers and followers,” the Quirks added.
The freed-up time will also allow the team to “hyper-focus” on providing an enhanced experience during the TT and Manx Grand Prix festivals.
A new shop space within the building is also planned, with further details to be revealed soon.