A LOCAL PUBLICAN: TRUST ME, I'M SMILING.
As a local landlord of a pub in Wandsworth, it would be easy to get down in the dumps
right now, “Why are we having to close earlier? We’re not the ones spreading the virus”
would be one of many excuses to be a grumpy landlord at the moment (and maybe a
fair one), but being the heart and soul of a local community has not changed, and
keeping that focus will see us through the other side , there are many positives about
our new normal ways of working in a pub at the moment, here are just a few…
Re-engaging with the local community after a long and boring summer was heartwarming.
Welcoming the locals and regulars back to the pub after 3+ months in July
definitely created a stronger bond between my team and the people of Wandsworth.
Despite the circumstances, there is still a hungry appetite to get to the pub! Since day
one of opening on July 20th customers were bursting to get in, yes we’ve had to turn
away a few punters due to having less tables, but the appetite has been consistent
since day one.
Making the most out of the opening time we do have is paying off! Despite losing a few
hours at the end of each day, we’ve managed to get the pub open early at 8.30am
Monday-Friday for the local parents of Wandsworth to pop in for a coffee after
dropping the kids off, even if it’s only a few coffee’s every morning, it’s worth it to give
the locals a warm place to go to have a safe nitter -natter.
As for the future, we can be optimistic can’t we? We see no reason why we can’t plan
positively for Christmas and try and give everyone something to look forward, so we’re
taking bookings as normal for the festive period, whatever restrictions are in place we’ll
take it in our stride and deliver December with a smile (even if you can’t see them!).