When Tony Marriott and Emma Hopkins took on their first pub just over 13 years ago, it was a complete change of career for the duo, who now run The Hearty Goodfellow at Southwell. They had previously worked as bus drivers, but both had a yearning to do something different, as Emma explains:

“We met 20-odd years ago, when we both worked as bus drivers. I’d always wanted to have my own pub, but never felt in the right position to do it. Then we were both fed up at work and decided to have a change.”

The first pub Tony and Emma took on, in December 2012, was The Honeycomb at Mickleover. “I used to work there years and years ago, and it was on its knees, so we went for it, and Everards offered it to us,” recalls Emma. “We’d never done it before, so it was a risk for them, and a risk for us.”

According to Tony, they were keen to get into the pub before Christmas to get a good feel for the place, and were rushed off their feet with the festive crowds.

“We went from sitting on our bums all day to being on our feet all day!” laughs Emma.

“We built that one up and then once we’d taken it as far as we could, we went looking for another,” says Tony.

Having become friends with many other Everards business owners, the couple were eager to move to a Leicestershire pub so they could be closer to their social circle. The pub they took on next was The Nags Head at Glenfield, in 2018. 

They spent four and a half years there, including the Covid pandemic, before making the decision to move back to Nottinghamshire.

“Everards haven’t got many pubs out this way, so we were contemplating coming out of the trade – but then this one popped up,” says Emma. “We applied, and it’s the best thing we’ve ever done”

According to Emma, the pub was quite a mess when they took it on in 2022, but they could see the potential of the place.

“Everards did a refurbishment in here before we opened, and we’ve added and changed bits year in, year out,” says Emma, describing the work as “a labour of love.”

“When we first came here, you couldn’t see the garden,” adds Tony. “There was just an 8ft high bush across it.”

The couple have worked hard to create a lovely beer garden, complete with benches and a children’s play area, and there’s also an outside bar to help ease the queues in the summer.

“We go from about 40 covers in the winter to about 200 in the summer, and the little bar inside can’t cope with it, so with the help of Everards we’ve had a bar built outside and it’s brilliant,” says Tony, adding that their twice-yearly beer and music festivals are a major draw.

Food is served seven days a week, with Emma’s son running the kitchen. “We’ve found that we’re exceptionally busy on Monday and Tuesday, because nowhere else does food on those days. I’m mainly in the kitchen with my son, and Tony’s mainly up front,” explains Emma.

The pair have been with Everards all through their pub journey so far, and say they wouldn’t want to work with any other pub company.

“We get the support we need, they’re genuine, and they make you feel like part of the family. They’re just really good,” says Emma.

Talking about what he most enjoys about running a pub, Tony says: “It’s meeting people and giving them a good experience.”

“It’s good to be your own boss and it’s great being part of the community. Yes, it’s long hours, but we don’t mind working hard,” adds Emma.

“When it’s your own business, you’ve got to put the hours in or it doesn’t work. We’re here most days and even when we’re on days off, we’re here doing jobs,” says Tony. “People like the fact that they see us, and it brings more of the community together because they see we actually care about the place.”

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