Owners of Paul’s Restaurant reassure customers they are still open despite properties on 1 and 3 Market Street, Bottesford being on sale with Savills
Owners of a restaurant of 25 years are reassuring customers that their doors are still open, despite the building being up for sale.
Paul’s Restaurant, on Market Street, Bottesford, is on the market alongside a property on 3 Market Street with Savills for £1.25 million as the owners are hoping to retire.
Paul and Jackie Reisenbushler have owned the restaurant for 25 years, and despite considering their customers to be as close as family, they are ready to retire within the next couple of years.
Jackie, from Scotland, and Paul, from Germany, met in Cheltenham when they worked in the same hotel, which led to 35 years of marriage, two daughters, and a successful business.
They have travelled around the world on the back of Paul’s career as a chef and being employed by other hotels.
They came to Bottesford after seeing an advertisement in a catering magazine for someone to come and take over a restaurant in the village on a self-employed basis.
“It was absolutely pure chance that we found out that the people that owned Paul's, which was then the Petit Maison, were planning on selling it,” Jackie said.
“The chap who owned it was exceptionally good to us, so we decided there's only a limit you can go to in hotels, isn't there?
“Paul didn't want to go down the route of being in an office and a kitchen and more paperwork things than cooking, so we just decided to give it a go.“
The couple have said they are quite confused as to why people think they are closing down any time soon as the building hasn’t yet been sold, however they are hoping someone takes over the business rather than just the premises.
Mrs Reisenbushler said: “We're just looking to retire, we've been 25 years here.
“Paul will be 63 this year and I've just turned 60. We want to retire just like normal people do.”
The property for sale includes the business and the couple’s house which is next to the restaurant, but the couple have reassured customers there is no closure date for the foreseeable future.
She added: “We think that realistically, in about 18 months to two years, we will still be here because nothing is going to happen overnight.
“We have told the agent that we are prepared, but we're not going to do a deal so we can get out next month.
“It’s on the market and will remain on the market until it sells at the price, we're not in a hurry.
“Paul doesn't really want to retire, but there has to come a time when we have to think about this because if he could, he would work forever.”
The restaurant will remain open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 12noon until 2pm and 6pm until 9.30pm; Thursday and Saturday from 12noon until 2pm and 6.30pm until 3pm.
On Sunday it opens from 12noon to 2pm.
Jackie added: “It doesn't feel like 25 years at all.
“We never lived anywhere as long as we have here, even with our parents we never lived anywhere.
“But then we had kids when we came here and then you get to schools and things so you don't want to move.
“I know everyone says this, but we do have amazing customers, we have got such nice people to come here, we've just got a nice customer base so it is not a chore.
It is a pleasure to do it because people are like – a lot of them are like family now.
“We have got customers come every Sunday for lunch who have been coming since the day we opened.”