And that’s before we’ve even cracked into the first set of interviews questions exploring his 11 years on Argyle Street.
“But when I first moved to Glasgow there wasn’t really anyone putting that out there to diners in the city.
“I worked at Michael Caines at Abode where we got some great produce in, but we would never fully embrace game season, and our sourcing of mushrooms was sporadic.
“I wanted to create a space that embraced it all, working with a small supply chain to give our guests a real flavour of what is in season.”
An unwavering commitment to “joining the dots” between the best of local suppliers and customers who are hungry for quality, has served McKenna and his team well, establishing them as one of Scotland’s leading restaurants.
So much so that it’s hard to imagine the landscape of the city’s buzzy ‘Finnieston strip’ without the venue.
11 years ago, the chef recalls, it was an entirely different story.
“The Crabshakk had just opened in the area and like everyone else I would go along to eat there as often as I could.
“Other than that, there were a lot of empty or boarded up units on the street, including what is now The Finnieston, The Kevlingrove Café and where we are now.
“The space had been burnt out by a previous fire and downstairs there was only dirt, so it was a huge gamble.
“The landlord wasn’t sure at first because we had no experience of running a restaurant, but John from the Crabshakk knew him and vouched for us, convincing him to give us a shot.”
With the unit secured, it was time for McKenna and his business partners to prove they were worth the risk.
He chuckles while remembering power outages affecting the entire neighbourhood on more than one service, threatening them with a loss of a night’s income which they sorely relied on.
No bother for the newly forged team: they fired up the BBQ and served the guest by candlelight to keep from pulling down the shutters.
“We didn’t have rich backers or anything like that, so we needed to be open as much as possible and getting customers in,” he said.
“It’s funny to look back on now, but at the time it was our only option because we had used all of our money.
“We had our blinkers on for a while focusing on that so didn’t really have time to stop and think about what we were doing.
“I think getting recognized by the AA with a Rosette straight off the bat was the moment that we realised ‘Oh, we might be on to something here’.
“We were still scrambling around week to week trying to make sure that the bills were paid on time, but that felt like a turning point.”
Not long after they were awarded their first Rossette, the AA named The Gannet as its Restaurant of the Year.
A matter of months later, the business had secured 3AA Rosettes.
This run of award wins was just the beginning, followed by countless accolades from industry bodies and consistently glowing reviews from customers all the way up to the present day.
Although he’d never spill the beans on his reservation’s diary, long time restaurant manager and integral team member Kevin Dow alone knows just how many famous faces can be counted amongst fans of The Gannet.
This year in particular has been one of change for the restaurant, with the departure of co-founder Ivan Stein and a revamp of its menu offering.
This means that alongside the acclaimed tasting menu experience, The Gannet now gives customers the option to take their pick of dishes from an a la carte selection as their appetite sees fit.
A creative who thrives on experimenting with seasonal ingredients, McKenna says this not only him gives him an exciting new outlet, but allows for more flexibility during a time when few can afford to spend upwards of £100 in one sitting.
“When a tasting menu is done right, it’s very special and I still really enjoy cooking ours.
“But we could see the way the market was going or how eating habits are changing, and wanted to be able to cater to people who might just want a beautiful plate of game or venison without the six or seven other dishes dotted about it.
“Things are very difficult at the moment, there’s no two ways about that.
“Whether it’s the tasting menu or a la carte, we know that our customers only have a certain amount of money to spend which means there is only so much we can charge for a plate of food.
“But, if I was to cost a menu correctly, taking into consideration what we have to payout from that, it would be much higher.”
Asked how restaurants across Scotland are managing this difficult situation, he continues: “Nobody in this industry is looking for handouts, but if the government doesn’t step in to give us a bit of breathing space, then I think we’re going to see a lot more closures in the next year.”
Going on say that Glasgow has ‘really come into it’s own’ as a foodie destination in the past decade, the chef points out that restaurants are now woven into the cultural fabric of the city, and play an essential role in attracting tourists.
He praises the owners of newly opened Margo for making a bold statement in choosing a city centre location and says that this is the kind of positivity we should celebrate during increasingly difficult circumstances for the industry.
As for the future of The Gannet?
“I’ve got ideas for changing the space up a bit and bringing the kitchen out of the basement and we do have a few exciting events planned for the rest of the year,” he muses.
“Otherwise, there are no grand plans for taking over the world or opening other units.
“If you had told me when we opened that we would still be here today, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.
“If we’re still here in another 11 years, championing local producers and working with great chefs and front of house staff then we’ll be doing something right.
“We’ll just keep taking it one week at a time.”
The Gannet is located at 1155 Argyle Street in Glasgow.
For more information visit www.thegannetgla.com.
