When Ken and Eileen took the reins at The White Horse on April 1st, 2015 - “the date seemed entirely appropriate,” says Ken. They were ready to take on any tom foolery and tricks they needed to, in order to get this pub where they envisioned it - at the heart of its community.
We enjoy serving a variety of beers to keep our customers interested. We have a group of 11 or 12 old chaps who come in on a Friday and they have four pints of Tiger each and sit in the corner, chatting and reminiscing.”
Ken and Eileen Thompson run the White Horse in Banbury. Ken, a former engineer and sales manager, has worked in and around pubs for many years.
When they took over The White Horse in picturesque Banbury, they knew it needed a lot of care and attention and were ready for the challenge.
The pub had stood empty for two years before being acquired by Everards.
It takes a long time to rebuild a pub’s tarnished reputation. So, when Ken and Eileen took the reins at The White Horse on April 1, 2015 - “the date seemed entirely appropriate,” says Ken - they knew they had a tough task on their hands.
Two-and-a-half years on, they’re winning. The pub, once cold and formal, open and sparse, is now warm and welcoming. It’s busy again. They’re doing well.
There are candles. Open fires. Soft furnishings and ornaments. “Come and have a look in the ladies’ loos,” says Eileen. It smells like a perfume counter. There are toiletries in both the ladies and the gents - and in the ladies the wall is festooned with Post-it notes from customers declaring their love of this well-kept boozer.
There’s a piano that Eileen picked up for £50 from a local auction. “We found out later that it’s worth close to £2,000,” says Ken. When someone lifts the lid, and starts tinkling those old ivories and the whole pub joins in, the piano seems like a priceless addition.
“We enjoy serving a variety of beers to keep our customers interested” says Ken.
So, they sell Tiger because the customers like it. “We have a group of 11 or 12 old chaps who come in on a Friday and they have four pints of Tiger each and sit in the corner, chatting and reminiscing.” They call them The Incontinence Club. The old boys’ laugh about that more than anyone else, says Ken.
“We were lucky because before we even did anything one of the other local pubs seemed to go all out to attract the younger crowd - which elbowed out a lot of drinkers.” With nowhere to go, the community has found a new home at The White Horse.
Ken says it’s been about slowly building trade up, making gradual improvements which won’t startle their regulars. “People don't like too much change, so we try do things gradually,” he says.
Eileen, a former behavioural support teacher, brought the psychology of the classroom into the pub. “Make the pub feel right then you attract the right kind of people - and they want to stay. They’ll come back,” she says.
“It’s a community pub. We have all sorts of people drinking in here - and that’s what a good pub should be."
Trade is predominantly drinks, with an 80/20 beer/food split. “The pub wasn't known for food, but we’ve worked hard to change that” says Eileen. A new menu, offering fresh, home cooked food, with nearly all the dishes coming in at below £10, has been warmly received.
"We also offer a great venue for parties and life events such as weddings, birthdays and funerals - we've had a beautiful wedding recently and the pub looked great as did the happy couple."
"It’s going well", says a proud Ken.
“A chap from CAMRA came in the other week and he said to me: ‘so, what’s the formula you've used to improve this pub - because I want to use it with every failing pub…?’
“But there's no big secret,” says Ken. “It’s not rocket science.
“We just care about the beer and the people who drink it.”
Justin Bowles and Wayne Robinson swapped a busy, urbane city life to become business owners of a lovely village pub in a sleepy hamlet in Derbyshire. How are they finding it? “It’s the best thing we’ve done,” says Justin.
Michael Cosgrove would not be sitting here today - landlord of The Blue Bell Inn; happy, content, a staff of 20 and still planning new ventures for this pub he's turned around in a year-and-a-half - if it hadn’t been for a fast ball he misread at a cricket match a few years ago.
We chat to Justin and Wayne about pub life, what it's like to own your own pub business and their plans for the future.