Starting Up with Luke Champion @ The Hollybush

It was a cold and wet evening by the river at the Cherwell Boathouse, celebrating my stepmother’s birthday, when my dad, John, mentioned they were strongly considering putting one of their pubs, The Hollybush in Witney, on the market.

Having worked with my parents and run The Hollybush a few years ago, I was already well aware of what a vibrant and busy place it was.

Fast forward to February 1, I find myself standing side-by-side with my new business partner and good mate, Alex, in our new pub, The Hollybush.

What to do and what to change? How would we approach taking over an already successful business without alienating the existing customer base?

And how to attract some new people? Brighten up the place and help attract a funky lunchtime crowd? A social eating and drinking house? After lengthy discussions over dinner, coffee and the occasional beer, Alex and I had worked out an idea of the kind of place we wanted the Hollybush to be. Light, open and calming, touches of the familiar mixed with a clean and modern atmosphere.

We decided to start with functionality. Already having a strong idea of the operational blueprint of the place, we decided to address the main area of concern for staff and customers: the bar. To open up the back area of the bar, to allow more space for the crew behind it to work their magic, and lengthen the service area to make life better for the customer, ultimately, giving service quicker on busy nights. With Aaron Hyatt on our team from Hyatt Construction, we made the decision to undertake all refurbishment in a small seven-day period. What could possibly go wrong?

The plan was to think less major changes and more lots of little improvements to an already lovely place.

This theme was continued with food and drink. Take a modern gastro pub menu and enhance it subtly; we wanted to bring in some elements of the modern “dirty gourmet” style that we have grown to love over the past few years, a naughty burger oozing with flavour and the option to add lobster, Canadian poutine for the hipsters and, of course, the classic dishes such as confit duck and an awesome Sunday roast.

All in all, not to reinvent the wheel, but certainly rebuild it. We want to create a happy and buzzing place in the heart of a happy and buzzing town. Good, relevant and non-pretentious food and drinks all served by lively and energetic professionals who know their onions.

This will not be the easy part, but is certainly what Alex and I are used to. Building a strong team and a consistent product, empowering our crew with lots of training, product knowledge and with feeling of being a part of the whole process.

Outsiders often hear how hard the hospitality trade can be, how many hours we work and how we sacrifice our social life for the trade. What you may not hear is how the strongest of bonds are formed between colleagues and, often, with the people we serve, how much fun and rewarding a good service can be and how, when you work in a place you love, you don’t feel like you missed out on a Saturday night out. Insteadd, you feel like you got paid to be there, working the bar or the floor and having fun.

Well worth a cheer, if you ask us.

TRY IT
Experience the revamped style at hollybushwitney.co.uk
35 Corn Street, Witney, OX28 6BT
01993 708073