The new landlords of a popular village pub are confident it will be a success despite the overhanging threat of coronavirus.
Marc Rickaby and Ross Pettitt were saw that the landlady of their local Nottinghamshire pub was calling last orders on her tenure at the Griffin’s Head in Papplewick and decided to take over.
The couple, who live in the village, said it was actually the COVID lockdown that helped them decide to work together to build a successful business.
Marc was up until recently employed locally by one of the UK’s leading marketing services groups and Ross continues to work in his successful hair salon in Southwell while supporting Marc with the running of the pub.
Marc said: “The pub was our local and when the previous landlady was moving to another pub she put the thought into our head of taking over the business.
“If lockdown had not have happened, we wouldn’t be here today. The pub has a good customer base, which we recognised, and it has given us a good starting point. We want to begin to build an incredible legacy and are excited about the future of the Griffins Head.”
Ross said: “Our life experiences, employment histories puts us in a good position. Building a business together excites us and we felt the timing was right for us to join forces and commit to planning, developing and expanding the Griffins Head as a community hub and move it forward to the next phase of its success story.”
The pub on Moor Road already has a great reputation, but the pair have already begun to improve the interior decor by bringing a more modern touch to premises, and work has started to enhance the external look of the venue.
Already an ideal place for social gatherings and a meeting point for a diverse group of people, Marc and Ross plan to encourage wider community use of the facilities and develop new trade through networking and marketing.
The pair are already welcoming locals and also visitors to the area – Marc and Ross want the pub to be the go-to stop off for people enjoying the numerous local walks and nearby historic locations.
For updates on the pub, visit its Facebook page: Griffins Head Papplewick.
