Anthony’s pledge for The Pageant
THE new landlord at The Pageant in Southport is pledging to return the pub to its place at the centre of the community.
The Kew pub has been taken over by former chef Anthony Bluthner who is pledging to bring back the Pageant’s glory days.
The Pageant has remained open since changing hands recently, but a number of changes had already begun ahead of the relaunch party last Friday.
So a new menu has been intro- duced, along with a range of new wines, beers, spirits and cocktails.
A new pool table has been installed as the pub looks to welcome pool and darts teams, the number of tables and chairs has been reduced to make for a more comfortable dining experience, and gaps in the beer garden’s fence are being replaced as the pub becomes more child friendly.
Originally from Sale, Anthony previously ran an IT company in Italy, which he later sold to buy his first bar in the Mediterranean country.
Since moving back from Italy he has become a specialist in turning round failing or underperfoming pubs, having rescued businesses across Liverpool and Manchester.
After recently getting married, he says he is now pleased to be settling down in one place and is promising to bring The Pageant back to its best.
Anthony said: “I took over the pub on Friday, November 18, and it has really been a whirlwind.
“I’ve done so much research into the place about what it was like and what’s left it how it is.
“I’ve spoken to that many regulars and they’ve all told the same stories, the same problems.”
With regulars having said that previous landlords had focused either too much on food or too much on just drinks, Anthony says he is looking to fix this balance, as well as restoring The Pageant to a more child-friendly environment.
“This pub is in the heart of Kew, there’s a church next door, a school behind us, the hospital down the road. This pub should be the heart of the community.
“My big thing is making sure that when customers come in, they’re happy. They’re happy with the atmosphere and ambience, they’re happy with their food and that has to be 100% consistent.”