Pub plans a royal date!
Among those looking forward to the royal wedding is licensee Mark Jeffreys, who took over at The Fox and Hounds, Clapham, last March. He plans to capitalise on the public holiday, which will mark the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, April 29.
A big party in the pub garden is on the cards. “I have a fantastic garden here that is child friendly and safe, and I held a few parties in the garden during last year, which were very good. I managed to pick the right days when the weather was fine,” said Mark.
“I’m planning more events like hog roasts for 2011 and, of course, a big do for the royal wedding.”
Mark was already well known in Clapham because he ran The Star in the village for almost five years until 2002, when he left the trade to set up a building company. In 2007 he emigrated to Cyprus where he also ran a maintenance and development company, returning for family reasons in 2009. Apart from the climate of Cyprus, which he misses daily, he has no regrets about returning to the UK and to the licensed trade.
“Everything has changed in those few years – the trade and the economy. It is much more competitive now and offers real challenges,” said Mark. “But I am really glad to be back in the trade and I’m really enjoying it. It is going well.”
One of the first things Mark did at The Fox and Hounds was to introduce food, where previously there was none on offer. “I run a Sunday carvery, which is now really popular and brings in people from all over.”
Mark, who is the father of two teenagers, provides live entertainment every other weekend, quiz nights and Sky Sports in the pub, which also gets good regular trade and support from the pub’s football, darts and pool teams.
“I have no regrets about getting back into pubs,” he said. “It is really full on now and you have to keep encouraging customers to come in, give them reasons to visit you, and make sure everything is 100 per cent right. “A lot of my old regulars now come in and I get a lot of support from local people, which is great. I also have a great team of staff to help me - and that’s a big bonus.”
Mark and his team are looking forward to developing the business further during 2011.
