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Shroppie Fly


IanD

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On 02/06/2022 at 15:24, MtB said:

 

I find this too. The turnover in pub landlords now seems so fast that one cannot rely on the last time you went in as a guide to what <whichever pub it is> will be like this time around...

 

 

Our local Marston's pub has had four landladies in the eight years we have been here, two of which have been in the last year.

 

The first two were excellent and the next dire. It doesn't look good for the latest, according to our local community Facebook page, there was a fight between the manageress and a member of staff. 😠

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5 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Our local Marston's pub has had four landladies in the eight years we have been here, two of which have been in the last year.

 

The first two were excellent and the next dire. It doesn't look good for the latest, according to our local community Facebook page, there was a fight between the manageress and a member of staff. 😠

Is that the gate at Amington

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On 02/06/2022 at 17:43, Annie cariad said:

Just come through don't go the food was grim according to fellow moorers pub on main st good 

We heard the same from somebody moored there. I assume "pub on main street" was the Lord Combermere -- excellent food and beer, and locals in later for the quiz (which had incomprehensible rules, but we enjoyed anyway).

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6 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Our local Marston's pub has had four landladies in the eight years we have been here, two of which have been in the last year.

 

The first two were excellent and the next dire. It doesn't look good for the latest, according to our local community Facebook page, there was a fight between the manageress and a member of staff. 😠

I always liked going in the Gate. 
Good beer, and lots to choose from plus some tasty food. 
And of course not far to walk home. 

How has it changed for the worse?

 

I’m intending to visit there in the next few days. A stop off before Atherstone. 

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33 minutes ago, Goliath said:

I always liked going in the Gate. 
Good beer, and lots to choose from plus some tasty food. 
And of course not far to walk home. 

How has it changed for the worse?

 

I’m intending to visit there in the next few days. A stop off before Atherstone. 

 

The previous landlady reduced the range of guest beers to one and employed a chef who couldn't operate a microwave.

 

Unsurprisingly customers left in droves.

 

The new landlady has increased the number of guest beers (two were on when I visited recently us the usual Marstons offerings) and has employed a new chef, but I haven't eaten there yet, so I can't comment on the food.

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13 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

The previous landlady reduced the range of guest beers to one and employed a chef who couldn't operate a microwave.

 

Unsurprisingly customers left in droves.

 

The new landlady has increased the number of guest beers (two were on when I visited recently us the usual Marstons offerings) and has employed a new chef, but I haven't eaten there yet, so I can't comment on the food.

Sounds bad. 
I must have hit it in the good times. 6 or 7 years ago. 
 

I will live in hope and give it a try this week. 

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36 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Sounds bad. 
I must have hit it in the good times. 6 or 7 years ago. 
 

I will live in hope and give it a try this week. 

 

Yes it had only just changed managers when I went in for a coupe of pints.

 

Beer was in good to condition though. Courage Directors, a dark porter and Marstons.

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7 minutes ago, Annie cariad said:

Thing is it's not an original iconic canal pub that dates back to ,.........it was made in the late 70s there is little connect to the canals at all exterior or interior !

 

As we have wandered away from the Shroppie Fly here is a canal related pub on The Coventry Canal, unfortunately it was demolished in 1950.

 

 

Punch Bowl 1950.JPG

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24 minutes ago, Annie cariad said:

Thing is it's not an original iconic canal pub that dates back to ,.........it was made in the late 70s there is little connect to the canals at all exterior or interior !

Matters not really, it’s a boozer and we need more. 
The iconic pubs have long gone ☹️.

 

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On 02/06/2022 at 15:24, MtB said:

 

I find this too. The turnover in pub landlords now seems so fast that one cannot rely on the last time you went in as a guide to what <whichever pub it is> will be like this time around...

 

Friend of mine took over a run down pub in Leek at a sensible rent.. in a month she'd doubled the turnover so the brewery tripled the rent and made it totally uneconomic. She quit two months later.

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19 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Friend of mine took over a run down pub in Leek at a sensible rent.. in a month she'd doubled the turnover so the brewery tripled the rent and made it totally uneconomic. She quit two months later.

Sadly this is something you hear all too frequently... since it makes no business sense one must assume the intention IS to make the pub unviable so it can be sold off to a greedy developer and turned into a mini housing estate...

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19 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

Sadly this is something you hear all too frequently... since it makes no business sense one must assume the intention IS to make the pub unviable so it can be sold off to a greedy developer and turned into a mini housing estate...

 

 

Not at all, that kills the golden goose for the brewery. 

 

The business model is to suck in new a wet-behind-the-ears newly retired person with a big pension payout and no business experience, to replace the previous one. Relieve them of as much cash as you can persuade them to part with in order to 'realise their dream' of running a pub, and get them to sign a lease that ties the rent to the turnover rather than profits and locks thm into buying all their stock at overpriced rates direct from the brewery.

 

This way the pub is guaranteed never to make a profit for the publican as no matter how hard they run, all the profit is mopped up by the brewery. selling the pub to a property developer would bring this gravy train to an abrupt halt. 

 

Anyone wanting a pub is best off buying themselves a freehouse, IMO.

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2 hours ago, MtB said:

The business model is to suck in new a wet-behind-the-ears newly retired person with a big pension payout and no business experience, to replace the previous one.

Or a wet-behind-the-ears newly redundant person with a big redundancy payout and no business experience...

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6 hours ago, David Mack said:

Or a wet-behind-the-ears newly redundant person with a big redundancy payout and no business experience...

 

 

Yep, a fifty-something with a long career at the same company taking redundancy or early retirement and consequently collecting a huge lump sum payout reflecting length of service seems to be the target victim, as they are likely to make the rookie business mistake of engaging with the amoral brewery commercial contracts department and underestimating the extent of its amorality.

 

One who mildly regrets a long corporate career trying to climb the greasy pole and is pleased to get out at last to 'freedom', and has always fancied running a pub, or living on a narrowboat, or packing it all in and being a plumber. Then when the cards fell such that they can get the pub, they grab the opportunity not realising how ruthlessly they are going to be milked of all their hard-earned redundancy payout and then dumped, usually bankrupt, and the next victim sucked in.

 

This is just what I observe seeming to happen again and again. Cynical? Moi? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

Yep, a fifty-something with a long career at the same company taking redundancy or early retirement and consequently collecting a huge lump sum payout reflecting length of service seems to be the target victim, as they are likely to make the rookie business mistake of engaging with the amoral brewery commercial contracts department and underestimating the extent of its amorality.

 

One who mildly regrets a long corporate career trying to climb the greasy pole and is pleased to get out at last to 'freedom', and has always fancied running a pub, or living on a narrowboat, or packing it all in and being a plumber. Then when the cards fell such that they can get the pub, they grab the opportunity not realising how ruthlessly they are going to be milked of all their hard-earned redundancy payout and then dumped, usually bankrupt, and the next victim sucked in.

 

This is just what I observe seeming to happen again and again. Cynical? Moi? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That pretty much describes me. Fortunately I never did fancy running a pub (perhaps because I worked in several as a part-time 2nd job in my twenties) or becoming a plumber.

 

I did quite like the idea of living on a narrow boat though, but not selling the house to do so. However it would also have meant living on my own so we did the next best thing.

 

It had never occurred to me before but perhaps working in pubs in the late 70s paid dividends 30 years later by keeping me out of the clutches of breweries.

 

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8 minutes ago, Lily Rose said:

It had never occurred to me before but perhaps working in pubs in the late 70s paid dividends 30 years later by keeping me out of the clutches of breweries.

 

I think you're right there. I had a rhyming experience with betting. Some of my mates as a teenager got interested in betting on horses etc and I worried about getting drawn in, and at that point I got a job working in a branch of Mecca Bookmakers. What an eye-opener to see the money coming in through the tills and not so much of it going back out the payout window! And how the shop was often half-full of losers p!ssing their meagre dole money up the wall on 1p and 5p bets hoping for a big win. Put me right off gambling, I've seen it ever since as mug's game for losers. 

 

The odd occasional exception was when a well dresses gent in an expensive coat might come in, put £100 or £1,000 to win on one horse, then scoot off. That horse would usually win. 

 

 

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The latest position in Audlem (from a resident):

 

Shroppie Fly - Recent new management, friendly, good, clean, up to 6 real ales.  Basket meals but currently only lunchtime/afternoon, tasty and good value.

Bridge Inn - several real ales, Marston tied house, no food, changing hands soon.

Lord Combermere - very comfy, excellent food, several real ales, but landlord leaves on 31 July.

Chip Shop closed until further notice (owner has died).

Aayans takeaway - Indian, pizzas, burgers - excellent

Edited by Hastings
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22 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Yes it had only just changed managers when I went in for a coupe of pints.

 

Beer was in good to condition though. Courage Directors, a dark porter and Marstons.

Managed a pint much sooner than planned after a quiet journey in the rain. 

Only had a quick one, kids running about so I sat in the back where they were watching the queen.

Supped up quick and left. 


Any recommendations for Atherstone?

I think I drank in the Swan (?) last time, cheap and local. 

 


 

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4 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Managed a pint much sooner than planned after a quiet journey in the rain. 

Only had a quick one, kids running about so I sat in the back where they were watching the queen.

Supped up quick and left. 


Any recommendations for Atherstone?

I think I drank in the Swan (?) last time, cheap and local. 

 


 

 

Maid of the Mill? Used to be a good local boozer, don't know if it still is...

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10 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Managed a pint much sooner than planned after a quiet journey in the rain. 

Only had a quick one, kids running about so I sat in the back where they were watching the queen.

Supped up quick and left. 


Any recommendations for Atherstone?

I think I drank in the Swan (?) last time, cheap and local. 

 


 

 

Is that the New Swan or the Old Swan?

 

Of the two I prefer the New Swan for beer.

 

The Bubble Inn does good food.

 

Atherstone has quite a few pubs and I'm yet to try them all.

Edited by cuthound
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21 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

Is that the New Swan or the Old Swan?

 

Of the two I prefer the New Swan for beer.

 

The Bubble Inn does good food.

 

Atherstone has quite a few pubs and I'm yet to try them all.

🤷‍♀️Dunno which Swan.

 

I think Atherstone once held the record for having the most pubs for a town, or per head or something or other like that.

Most have shut.

 

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3 hours ago, Goliath said:

🤷‍♀️Dunno which Swan.

 

I think Atherstone once held the record for having the most pubs for a town, or per head or something or other like that.

Most have shut.

 

Burnley did have the most pubs most closed down by my grandfather

 

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