A DUNFERMLINE business has spent £43,000 ahead of its re-opening and lockdown easing on Monday.

Nihat Oymak, owner of La Menta Cafe Bistro & Bar, has revamped the High Street venue with an overhaul inside.

It’s part of a bid to attract more customers to the bistro and to the town, as businesses across Scotland re-open their doors to the public.

With local tourism also now allowed, Nihat believes making Dunfermline a place to be proud of is going to be key to the former Scottish capital’s recovery.

“Dunfermline should be the best town in Scotland,” he stated.

“I truly believe that. Dunfermline has the potential but it isn’t marketed well enough.

“We see people coming from Dalgety Bay and Duloch and we’re all supposed to be happy about that as if they are tourists?

“Dunfermline needs high-quality places; restaurants, bistros and bars, where people can have good cocktails, food and spaces to take good pictures. When people go out, they want to make memories. When friends and family get together in these places, they’ll take photos and make that history.

“When you go to Edinburgh, you get places like Tigerlily and Tatu, which I’ve been to myself many times, and I’ve always thought, ‘Why don’t we do this in Dunfermline?’”

That’s prompted Nihat to shell out more than £40,000 on a new bar, kitchen (with preparation space), chairs, relocating the toilets and other on-site works.

The bar and cafe also now has feature walls designed for photos being taken in front of, and a large, stunning print of Dunfermline’s high street – taken from the Glen Gates – is a main centrepiece inside.

“La Menta was looking a bit old and we’ve now upgraded it with a new style to attract people of all ages,” Nihat said.

“It was a big decision to spend all of this money on renovation. There’s still more to come, with new chairs costing £4,000.

“I had to ask myself, time and time again, ‘Should I do this or not?’ “I believe in Dunfermline, and we need to give it the quality it deserves.

“People shouldn’t have to go to Edinburgh to have a good time and make good memories.

“When everything opens again, I think we’ll see people supporting local businesses again.

“It’s been very difficult for everyone. As a business in hospitality, we have been closed for four months.

“I’m just glad we’ve got our health and we can all support each other. We’re like a big family and we’ve kept all of our staff.

“You have to take care of health in life first, as you can always make money back.”