I interview Rachel about her hospitality ownership journey, which she sums up as exciting and adventurous, shaped by changing realities after opening, including COVID and today’s tougher spending climate.

She shares her path from restaurant management to a long office-career hiatus while keeping hospitality as a side hustle, then opening Hey Palu in Edinburgh with her husband.

Rachel explains how they financed the business with savings, a small family loan, and a bank loan, how COVID forced pivots like takeaway cocktails that boosted brand awareness, and how staffing and awards followed.

She then describes opening an agave-focused second venue via a brewery lease, why it struggled (location, due diligence, rising costs, changing consumer spend), how they chose to close it, the mental toll, and the practical realities of shutting down a business.

Her key advice is to know your “why,” gain varied venue experience, talk to peers, and recognize that closing isn’t failure.

Hey Palu: https://www.heypalu.com/

Rachels Socials: https://www.instagram.com/mrs_mezcal/?hl=en

Overproof Socials: https://www.instagram.com/overproofff/?hl=en

00:00 Three Words In

00:37 Before The First Venue

02:32 Hospo Roots And Burnout

04:28 Opening From Oil And Gas05:54 Partners And The Leap

07:48 Original Vision And Menu Pivot

10:07 Buying Out A Partner

12:36 Couples Conflict And COVID Pivot

15:48 Funding And Bootstrapping

17:07 The Unicorn Venue Build

20:02 First Year And COVID Rules

23:01 Post COVID Surge And Growth

24:14 Staffing And Capacity

25:17 Thinking About Venue Two

25:27 Hunting the Right Venue

26:10 Awards and New Ambitions

26:53 Dividing Roles for Site Two

27:39 Mezcal Certification Journey

30:33 Sourcing Agave in Edinburgh

31:21 Funding and Legal Separation

32:10 When the Cracks Appeared

35:42 Deciding to Close the Bar

38:55 Burnout and Staff Impact

42:25 Closing Admin and Utilities

47:03 Advice for Future Owners

52:26 Highlights Lowlights and Edinburgh Picks

55:42 Final Lessons and Farewell