First-time landlord transforms Sheffield pub into success despite difficult trading conditions
“People think it’s just pouring pints - but there’s a lot more to it that people don’t see”
A 28-year-old from Sheffield has transformed a struggling pub into a success "straight away” despite it being his first time being a landlord.
Elliot Metcalfe, took over The Royal pub in Woodhouse on Tuesday, August 18 and has since brought in many customers as he has worked hard to change its previous reputation.
He moved back to Sheffield with his partner from the Lake District to take over the pub, and said: “I knew it was always a risk, but there’s never any reward without risk.”
His passion for transforming the pub came from when he worked as an assistant manager at the Handsworth Inn in Woodhouse two years ago, where he ran the pub whilst his colleague and friend went away on holiday.
Elliot said: “Since then, I kind of thought, that’s something I want to get into. So I passed my qualifications and decided to go for it. I was in the running for a couple of pubs, and then as soon as this one turned up - I put all the others to the back.
“I knew it was a good pub, but it just needed some new ideas, some new staff, new people, new management.”
Taking over a pub as a first time landlord is not an easy job, especially during times where rising costs are at the forefront for why many pubs seem to be closing across the country.
The cost of living also means more people are choosing to stay in and save their money instead of going out.
But despite all of this, Elliot seems to be keeping busy every day of the week, and even took double the amount of takings than the pub had done previously.
He said: “People don’t come out of their houses these days for a few pints without having a reason to, so I decided to put on things like live music and entertainment.
“I’ve got loads of pool teams set up and pool competitions, we had a big Halloween party and Arctic Monkeys tribute band, we put live music on a weekend, and a DJ every Friday night.”
The epidemic of people staying in their own homes only motivates Elliot to host events that bring the community together.
Not only this, but he said the secret to running a pub is by simply being a “people’s person”, especially since The Royal is “very much a community pub”.
Elliot said: “People just think it’s pouring pints and laughing with people watching football, but there’s a lot more to it that people don’t see.
“You’ve got to have a lot of people skills, you’ve got to understand the local people, and luckily, I knew Woodhouse really well.”
Although he’s had a strong success in the first two months of running, he shared how the main challenge was changing people’s perception of the pub.
It’s undergone multiple different owners since covid times who “have just not been the right fit”, which is why the “hardest thing was changing people’s mindset” of the pub.
So by focusing on what the community wants, and putting on a range of fun events, it seems Elliot has indeed changed perceptions of the place for the better.
For anyone who has recently become a pub owner themselves, Elliot's main piece of advice is to “go with your gut”.
He added: “Go for the pub. Any ideas that you've got, give them a try because nine times out of ten, what your gut thinks is right, is right.”