If I ran a pub for thirty years
If I ran a pub for thirty years, perhaps I'd grow tired of some elements of the lifestyle. (As it goes, I jump out of bed every morning eager to get on with the day, something I haven't done since teachers invented homework). One thing I think I'd always love is the joy people of all ages take when they pitch up in your pub for the first time - so often by accident rather than design - and find you enjoy cask ale as much as they do, and consequently give it the attention it deserves. There's real warmth in those eagerly proffered compliments, those raised glasses, those smiles, and those promises to return soon.
I think all of us seek validation and a sense of self-worth from what we do. Although my latest calling in life might be a little pedestrian for some, it does make me very happy.
12 comments:
I guess you enjoy it because you're good at it, and vice versa. From the times we've met, I'd describe you as a tireless and somewhat competitive extrovert. Good qualities for a man in the hospitality business.
A bit presumptuous of me to attempt to summarise your entire personality in a few words after three encounters, but hey ho.
You said this very well. It's publicans like you who make beer drinking enjoyable. When you put care into what you do it gets noticed. A good pint in a good pub means a lot at the end of a day.
Running a pub is a noble profession.
Jeff-- I wrote a little piece about British and cask ales and wanna get you in on it. Wanna join the discussion?
We're based in Japan, but we're getting opinions from all over....
There is indeed no better satisfaction of running a pub than grateful thanks and appreciation.
30 years eh? - we'll see...
Then you are a lucky man to have found a profession that you truly enjoy. Cheers to your success!
Would like to visit your pub, STONCH.
Fingers crossed, I'll be doing just that in a couple of weeks time.
Bear in mind, I'll be calling you STONCH and nothing else!
Be good if you could lay on another cask or two of the Alton's Pride.
THE VAUX.
I'd love to visit your pub when i come down for GGBF would it be easy to get to?
It's about five minutes from Chancery Lane tube on the Central Line, so yes. Note we're closed weekends.
As a rule, I like visiting new pubs and do so fairly compulsively all the time (as the 'last visited' list on my blog pretty well testifies), and so in the excitement of the new and untested, there are very few pubs I look forward to returning to. However, I'd say one of the handful I look forward to going back to is the Gunmakers because it's a welcoming place, it has good food, and I've never had a bad pint. I'm still not entirely sure what the specific alchemy behind pub success is, but keep up the good work.
Just a shame you don't open Saturday afternoons! If you did then you'd have had two whippersnappers from the North on their way to Star Trek at the IMAX, one a homebrewer, to chat with. Think of the fun haha!
My own fault for not checking first =(
So I hear people talking about too many pubs are closing. Any insights on this?
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