Sarah and Bob joined the Everards family in February 2019 when they took on the Royal Oak pub in Kirby Muxloe.
Having successfully ran a delicatessen across the road for 5 years, they were ready for a change and a challenge and to offer more to their existing customers and their local community. They knew as soon as the pub became available that this was an opportunity they did not want to pass up!
Sarah had big plans for the pub, she wanted to continue with the deli and has worked very hard on moving the deli over into the pub and making it feel at home within the building.
“It was important to us to bring the deli with us, it was important to our community and we had worked hard in those five years to get it the fantastic reputation it has. We also knew our customers would not let the village lose this asset – and they didn’t have to. We knew if we worked hard the pub could be both.
We are so happy to say that just before lockdown we were successful in integrating a new deli in a portion of the pub which means we can open the pub all day from breakfast until dinner and welcome everyone in the community at different times to provide a service important to them.
We have to say this whole thing so far has been hard! The first few months were challenging. Being new to the pub industry and the stresses of initially running 2 separate businesses at the same time was not easy. What was reassuring though was the support that was provided by Everards; they were always happy to offer support and advice regarding any queries we had.
Having been coming to the Royal Oak as customers for many years we always knew that the it had the potential to be a fantastic pub and something the local community could be proud of. With the help of Martin, our business relationship manager we were able to turn our ideas for The Royal Oak into plans and Everards were fantastic at showing us other ideas and had some fantastic suggestions of their own.
Everards were behind us every step of the way with our refurbishment and we are so happy with the final results!"
Like all pubs and restaurants, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit us hard. The fact we had been closed for 3 weeks for the refurbishment and then only able to open for a week before the government enforced closure did not help either! We have tried our best to continue to offer a service to the local village and really hope we have played our part in making life as normal as possible. Everards have been in regular contact with us throughout this difficult time and we cannot thank them enough for both the support they have offered but also the reassurances provided in ensuring that The Royal Oak will be in a position to open when we are able to do so.”
Sarah, Bob and their team have excelled themselves during this lockdown period in supporting their community and trying to offer as much as they can. They have tried their best to give everyone a sense of normality and most importantly, the opportunity for their community to still be able to access great food and drink and a strong sense of community in these difficult times when the pub is closed.
With schools starting back this week, the team have promoted breakfast to go, as well as continuing hot drink take outs. A brand-new ice cream machine has meant they can offer families a treat on their daily walks through the village, and as well as all of this they have continued with their fish and chips on Fridays, Pizza’s in the week and a Sunday Roast offer at the weekend that has been selling out its so popular! All of these have been well supported by the community, with one comment from a customer saying “You have kept us sane and given us variety.” and another commenting on their Facebook page a message of thanks: “Thank you for the great service and food provided during lockdown!”
Sarah and Bob are a great example of a pub and a building that offer the local community something different and something more than just a pub.
If you would like to start your next business venture, whether that be a pub, a deli, or perhaps both like Sarah and Bob then Everards could help you to create the perfect venue for your business venture.
Everards are always looking for passionate people with a good head for business that want to create a business of their own. If this sounds like you and you would like to find out more, the Everards team would love to chat. Join them at one of their virtual cuppa and chat events where the team share what's involved and can answer any questions you may have.
Upcoming virtual cuppa and chat events:
If you are in or around Kirby Muxloe in Leicestershire, then pop in and treat yourself to a delicious breakfast or ice cream and say hi to the fantastic team at The Royal Oak!
The Everard Family Foundation are donating £50,000 to Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland. This is a local cause that the Everard family have a long history of supporting, with Richard Everard being their president since 1992 and donating regularly over the years.
Tony and Kathryn Marshall are celebrating 30 years behind the bar.
