When the Botanist Café & Garden Lounge first opened in the Botanical Gardens in Paget, some people worried that a mile from town was way too far from the main drag.

They were wrong.

As it turned out, founders Peter Kyle, Stuart Brown and Henric Ehrenblad had at least one thing the city could not offer: free parking.

“The Botanist is a really nice break from the noise and hustle and bustle of being in town,” Mr Kyle said. “We are pretty busy. Most mornings we cater to a really wide range of people.”

They see everyone from retirees to school-run mothers and those holding business meetings.

The team designed the space to serve several markets at once. Upstairs is a bright, modern café. Downstairs is a cool, dimly lit vault that feels like a speakeasy. Outside is a rose garden.

They have become a hotspot for intimate parties and gatherings. Pet-friendly happy hours, art classes, whisky tastings, Pup Match (St George’s won) and a number of weddings are just a few of the events that have put them on the venue map.

“For one wedding we hosted everything on-site,” Mr Kyle said. “We did the ceremony in the garden. Then we flipped the space around while the couple had pictures taken, so that we also did the reception there. Then we did the after party in the vault.”

Their business model focuses on quality, freshness and value with the menu changing three or four times a year, based on what is available locally.

Like most restaurants in Bermuda, they have been hit hard by the rising price of goods on the island.

“We have seen the cost of food, coffee and paper products go up,” Mr Brown said.

Their response has been to hold prices, as much as possible.

“I think we have maintained our pricing very aggressively over the last two years,” Mr Kyle said. “We have not increased in pricing by more than a dollar.”

Instead, they have adjusted items on the menu.

He said: “We understand times are tough, and some of our customers, such as retirees, want a nice place to enjoy fresh food, but not break the bank on it.”

The café employs around ten people and runs a structured training plan. Staff can progress from bus server to server, barista and cocktail bartender at their own pace. The team also partners with the Government Workforce Development programmes to develop young Bermudian talent.

Until recently, the clientele was predominantly local, but that is changing.

“We have seen a really good uptick in visitors throughout June,” Mr Kyle said. “We have been doing a lot of advertising to cruise ships and Airbnbs. Some hotels are starting to really find us now, and we are on that concierge map that is starting to send people this way.”