Paul and Gaynor at The Bulls Head are an independent family run business just like Everards and have been at their pub and home for 37 years now! Here's how they got started in the pub world and why they still love it, even in these difficult times...
In 1983, Paul Hodges – then 14 years old – moved into The Bull’s Head in Cosby with his family. His Dad, Brian, had become the new landlord of the popular Leicestershire community pub.
Back then, Paul had no idea he would be spending 37 years at that very same pub. Paul followed in his father’s footsteps and became the landlord in 2001.
Ever since, he has retained his Dad’s approach of running a family-friendly, welcoming pub that sits at the heart of village life, now more so than ever as 2020 has been a challenging year for all communities throughout the country.
Paul and Gaynor love living in Cosby and are lucky to have Pauls two girls, who regularly work at the pub also living in the village. Pauls says: “It’s amazing to think that this will be my 37th year in the pub - and what a year! This year has reminded me how nice it is to run a business surrounded by your family, and even though the pub has been closed on and off we have all still been here for our customers and the village in many ways, making our pub a safe place for all to visit when allowed.
The Bull’s Head has a friendly, family feel, because says Paul: "We all work together and we work hard to provide the best service we can for our customers. We try to make everyone feel welcome. We have continued to decorate the pub for Christmas to spread a little cheer within our community as people walk by.
We regularly reach out on our social to check in with customers and let them know we are still here for a chat, despite being closed. We also offered pop up food from the car park for a few months to bring something different to our community.”
Paul added: "2020 has been a very tough year for everyone in the hospitality trade & Everards have been exceptional in their support to us here at The Bulls Head, despite having their own business challenges during this pandemic.
We would not hesitate in recommending them to any potential new licenses & will help them any way possible just like they have us this last year & before. We would not work with any other brewery and cannot wait for pub life to return to some sort of normal so we can open the doors and welcome everyone in once again for a pint and a chat - we've missed that!."
If you are interested in running your own pub business or ready to take the next step with your own independent business, we would love to chat!
Despite it being the most difficult time for hospitality and pubs in particular right now, we have continued to be proactive in our approach and have welcomed new business owners taking over eighteen pubs since the start of lockdown back in March.
”It’s been a challenging time and we are immensely proud of how our business owners have responded with such positivity and many have actually become the heart of their community more so now, than ever.” says Everards Operations Director Emma Roderick.
We have seen our business owners turn their hands to offering take away food and drink, some have operated as village shops or held markets in their car parks, others became collection points for Age UK Leicester Shire and Rutland.
As well as being there for their community they have also taken the time to do the jobs that were not possible when open, creating a fresh new look and beautiful gardens for their customers to enjoy and even now, with the recent announcements many are decorating their pubs to celebrate the festive season for their community to bring some festive cheer as they walk past, even where the pubs are closed.
“The wonderful thing is” says Emma, “Our business owners have really pulled together sharing advice, tips and ideas via our closed Facebook group and it’s been so nice to see this online community build stronger connections. We have also used this group to offer lots of support and share guidance alongside our other methods.”
As we continue to evolve and invest in our pubs, other independent businesses and our new state of the art brewery in Leicestershire - which is due to open next spring - we look set for an exciting and bright future ahead and are always looking to chat to positive, forward thinking people who would like to be part of our journey and the future of hospitality.
If you are interested in running your own pub business or ready to take the next step with your own independent business, we would love to chat!
To find out more, please get in touch here.
Or take a look at the current pubs we have available here.
In the hands of father and son duo Alan and Jamie Levers, The Plough has become known as a family-friendly venue where you can enjoy a warm welcome, an impressive array of drinks and authentic Thai food.
"If you'd have told me 18 years ago that I'd still be here, I would have laughed!" smiles Alison. " But now, I can't imagine not being here!"
A former retail manager, Alan has worked in pubs now for 13 years. Within a year of taking on The Brunswick , it was unrecognisable, winning CAMRA Pub of the Year for two consecutive years!