Pub bosses set for sunnier times
Big things are on the way for a “little gem of a pub” in Bath.
Chris Lewis and his partner Jamie took over the Fairfield Arms in July last year, despite the coronavirus pandemic, and have gone from strength to strength.
They opened on August 14 with a beer garden that pulled in hordes of thirsty residents.
Now, with summer and the easing of restrictions in sight, they have signed a five-year lease on the pub and have big plans.
Chris, 44, said: “It’s such a little gem of a pub and if we can get through Covid we can get through anything. We have got a suntrap in the garden where we get sunshine from morning until night.
“Now we have started doing up the side garden. It’s a nice patch of ground and some people have been coming here for 20 years and they didn’t know about it!”
Over the summer, drinks flowed in the Fairfield garden right up until the 10 o’clock curfew and Jamie and Chris were serving up to 50 roast dinners every Sunday.
Then lockdown returned and the pub had to close. As the pair had only taken over the business during the pandemic, they were not entitled to any government support.
However, they didn’t let that stop them in their tracks and they began doing takeaways, with 20 regular customers for their Sunday roast.
Chris said: “We have always wanted to run a pub and I have run pubs before as a relief manager. The Fairfield Arms ticked all the boxes, we wanted a residential pub because we really want to get to know our customers.”