The Harbour Cafe, Our Local Love Shack

On the breezy shores of East Sands, The Harbour Cafe stands as a cherished landmark where the passage of time has intertwined the lives of fishermen, tourists, locals, and students. It was first opened in the 1960s by a harbour master who got permission to open it for his wife. In 1984, it was purchased by Gladys Patrick for her daughter Patricia Dodds. For 41 years, every day from 9:30am to 6pm, Dodds continues to run the cafe.  

She shared: “I've had it for so long, [that for] people over the years, it’s the first place that they come [when visiting St Andrews]. Usually when they come […] everything's the same as [...] it was last year and the year before […] They know when they see me, because I'm here every day [...] Not that it's anything special or anything, but just that it's [familiar].”

The Harbour Cafe is more than a shack by the beach: it’s a place filled with family history. “My three boys have worked in here, my grandchildren have worked in here, and my great grandchildren have worked here,” said Dodds. 

Dodds also added that the Harbour Cafe has a rich history rooted in love. “[My mother] really got it for me […] I was alone with three boys,” Dodds explained, “I did a lot of jobs to make a bit of money to keep us, and she thought that this would be better.”

Almost everything has remained as it was when it first opened in the ‘60s — apart from the tables. “Over the years, I changed it to sit in […] but apart from that, it's not changed at all,” said Dodds. The cafe has transitioned to being open year round, rather than a seasonal snack bar open only six months of the year. Yet Dodds has gotten older, and the dynamics of running her business have changed. “It was a family business […] it's just really me now,” she explained. “I just envisioned [in the future] that it'll be gone, and there'll be something else in its place […] I would hope it was maintained, because I think you do need something — something that just sells the basics.”

Dodds is a long-time member of the St Andrews community. She raised her three sons here and regularly takes part in local community initiatives. As prices rise in St Andrews, the Harbour Cafe continues to provide an affordable welcome space for all. “I'm not here to make an absolute fortune,” said Dodds, “I'm here just to supply a service and to just meet lots of people.”

She added, “If I'm still making a profit, if I'm still paying the wages and paying the ground rent and paying the electricity and still making a profit [...] that's enough.”

The Harbour Cafe is a historic favourite for the locals of St Andrews: “Quite a lot of them have brought their children and their grandchildren,” said Dodds. It also serves as a retreat for students, who Dodds said “didn't used to come down this far” to East Sands. However, since the pandemic, she believed that “the [Cafe’s] relationship with the University has [got] better” and that the increase in students “means you can expand.” 

Dodds owns the business and the building, but the grounds are owned by the Harbour Trust. Dodds explained how she feels that they’ve gradually stripped her of some agency as a business owner and now have plans in the works for a more modern cafe on the site. “They can tell me to move, to remove the building at any time. When we first bought the place, we had a 99-year lease with the Council, and then when the Harbour Trust took it over, it was reduced to five years, and then they reduced it to three years, and then they reduced it to one year.”

Dodds has shown considerable dedication to St Andrews, but she believes the Harbour Trust doesn't appreciate her work as a business owner. “They wanted to put a cafe of their own here and get rid of me,” she said. Dodds eventually accepted their offer, though: “It was hard at first, but now, because of my age, I think I just take it as it comes. If that's what's going to happen, that's what's going to happen.”

She believes that the Harbour Trust “doesn't quite work” in its purpose of maintaining the harbour. The Trust is made up of ten to twelve people: two fishermen, two members of the council, and the rest are either residents of the town or the area around it. Dodds explained, “There is an awful lot [of hidden diplomacy], and it just seems to have got worse and worse over the years.”

She added, “[The Trust] wouldn't listen to the locals and to people older than themselves that knew about when this was put up or other things about the harbour.” This uncertainty has weighed heavily on her and her business. “You're in limbo — you don't know what's going to happen. You want to repair and do some maintenance on the outside, but you can't really. You don't want to spend £10,000 on it, and then you've got to rip it all away.” 

She continued discussing her fraught relations with the Harbour Trust, saying, “I feel [that it’s] in particular because I'm a woman and not not a man. I think if it was a man, I would be taking heat more off.” Yet she is defiant: “You can't just get rid of me. I think the people in the town would object if there was any dirty work or anything done.”

When asked about the contents of this article, a spokesperson for St Andrews Harbour Trust said, “St Andrews Harbour Trust is the Statutory Authority responsible for the development, maintenance and promotion of the 14th century harbour and has a duty to safeguard its future as a national asset.”

“Despite considerable challenges caused by last year’s storms, we have a firm eye on the future and are seeking to appoint two new Trustees whose backgrounds and expertise will support our longer-term, strategic goals, one of which is the proposed development of the new Harbour Hub.”

“While the proposed building will generate significant benefits for harbour users, visitors and the town as a whole, we have been acutely aware of the sensitivities of the area from the outset and continue to be as open and transparent throughout the process as possible. As a matter of respect and courtesy, prior to announcing our plans, we consulted and secured a verbal agreement from the existing cafe operator and actively took her views into account as part of the design process. In an earlier article in the local Press, the tenant stated that she does not have the facilities to offer more than she does and also that she would like to extend the Harbour cafe and provide a shaded area for those sitting outside. These views and feedback were specifically woven into our proposals for the new building.The tenant has been offered first refusal on the new lease to the improved building but has yet to accept that offer formally.”

“We fully recognise that the tenant has been running a successful business at the harbour for many years, much-loved to many, and very much appreciate the role she has played and continues to play within the harbour area.”

Image: Tara Phillips