Debbie Duncan and Emma Girvan opened Bibi’s Cantina on Dumbarton Road 17 years ago.
The pair have now been partners for 22 years in total, gaining a cult following for their menu that puts good value first.
Longtime fans of Bibi’s (including Paolo Nutini and Limmy) will be familiar with the menu heroes: meatball and tortilla soup, stuffed jalapeno poppers, sizzling fajitas and of course, ginger lime cheesecake.
But new converts will be amazed to discover a cosy cantina that offers discounted menus throughout the week for early birds and midweek diners.
Emma, 48, said: “We’ve always been focused on value for money.
“We wanted to be somewhere you could go on a Wednesday night and get a couple of courses or come on a Saturday night and get a really nice bottle of wine.”
Emma Girvan, left and Debbie Duncan (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)
Rather than relying on a coupon company that takes a chunk of the profit, Debbie and Emma concentrate on getting their margins right to offer the best value.
Debbie, 51, said: “Both being mums and doing this while we had young families, we understood what people were looking for when they went out.
“I think more than ever money is the biggest motivator for people going out.
“People can go and get a supermarket meal deal during the week and we need to compete with that.
“It needs to be really good food, good service, and a good atmosphere.
“It’s a lot to take into consideration but more often than not I think we get it right, which is why we’re still in business after all this time.”
Named after a Mexican soap star, Bibi’s has been lucky to have an incredible team of staff over the years – which now includes the owner’s teenage children.
Debbie said: “We’ve never had a high turnover, we have always had people stay with us for years.”
Manager Polly Jara has been at Bibi’s for five years, remembering names and stories about the lives of their customers.
Debbie, of East Ayrshire, said: “We might be a little cantina in Partick but we want to exceed people’s expectations when they come in.
“That’s what keeps people coming back and recommending us as well.”
Emma, of Scotsoun, said: “I remember my son sitting in a high chair while I was serving tables and now he’s an employee working for us.”
Debbie added: “I remember being pregnant and working here, now my daughter works here on a Saturday.”
When they started, “a lot of people didn’t think we’d last six months,” Emma says.
Now, after more than two decades in business together, Debbie and Emma want to encourage other women to do the same.
Debbie said: “We were told no by everyone we tried to borrow money from, any man in a suit has just told us no over the years.
“That forced us to keep our business quite small but in hindsight, we’re really glad.
“We’ve watched other people that expanded quickly and it can’t be sustained.
“We want to say to young women out there to persevere and start small.
“Get loads of advice, ask all the right questions, really do your research if you’re thinking of starting a business up, but do it.”
Bibi’s Cantina. 599-601 Dumbarton Rd, Partick, Glasgow G11 6HY.
