QUARTER NOT DOING THINGS BY HALVES!
Radio hosts pull first pint of the year at cafe and bar
THE manager of a Stoke-ontrent cafe and bar has told of his ‘excitement’ at welcoming customers back - and the steps taken to combat the unpredictable weather.
The team at The Quarter @ Potbank, at Spode Creative Village in Stoke, welcomed their first customers on Monday morning – pulling their first pint of 2021.
The outdoor seating area has been covered, with heaters also in place for customers’ comfort.
The Quarter also has a sister site in Hanley’s Piccadilly,
Ahead of the reopening, manager Gareth Ridge said: “We can’t wait to see customers again, have that atmosphere back and hear the clatter of plates.
“We’ve done a lot of work while we’ve been closed at both venues – as well as a lot of preparation to maintain our covid precautions that we have in place.
“We’ve had a great response on our booking system so far, a lot of people are really looking forward to popping in.
“We’re very aware that a lot of people are still really hesitant, but the team has undergone training and will continue to wear face coverings in our outdoor area.
“We have our one way system and hand sanitiser is also available.
“The British weather can be really unpredictable, so we’d advise people to bring their coat with them.
“But we do have the whole outdoor area covered and we’ve installed outdoor heaters, so we have tried to weather-proof the area as much as possible.
“Our menu is exactly the same as usual – and we’ve added a few more cocktails.
“We just took drinks orders on Monday and Tuesday and then we will be serving food from today, which includes our breakfast and main menu.
“We just want people to come along and enjoy themselves like they did before.
“We’ve got a few things planned, including some live music, so it’s really exciting. We can’t wait to have people back.”
Front of house staff member Kimberly Bradshaw said she had missed the customers.
She said: “We’re all very excited to be back – it’s nice to be back to a bit of normality.
“It’s lovely to see everyone smiling and having a coffee outside. I think people have really missed the small things like that.
“As a team, we have missed interacting with the customers, and with summer coming up, we’re really excited to make the most of our outdoor space.”
The Quarter even had a helping hand from Signal 1 breakfast show
DJ’S Elliot Holman and Matilda New – who pulled the venue’s very first pints of 2021 at midday.
Matilda said: “It’s lovely to get back to a bit of normality – while still staying safe.
“The team at The Quarter have got everything spot on and it’s great to be able to support independent businesses like this in Stoke-ontrent.
“Elliot and I were able to get competitive pouring the Quarter’s first pints of 2021 – obviously I won with my superior bar skills.
“It’s been so nice to get a coffee after the show, especially when you’ve not had to make it yourself.”
Elliot added: “It was loads of fun testing out my bar skills with Matilda and to have the honour of pouring the first pint at The Quarter.
“It’s great to see places starting to open up and to be out and about in Stoke-on-trent again.”