Landlord of popular Sheffield pub says city's nightlife has a bright future - but not without new challenges
A city centre publican has celebrated Sheffield’s varied nightlife options, though admits that things are ‘really tough’.
The Frog and Parrot on Division Street is one of the most recognisable and beloved watering holes in the city centre.
Known for its connections to the Arctic Monkeys and Joe Cocker, the pub has made its mark on Sheffield’s music history.
But like many landlords, Nick Simmonite has raised concerns about the issues facing the hospitality sector.
“It’s tough, really really tough,” he told The Star.
“It’s bleak - January was fairly bleak for everyone.
“It’s no surprise that operators have decided that their love of the job can’t pay the bills and have decided to move onto pastures new.”
Nick explains that getting customers through the door isn’t the main challenge, but the earnings don’t match rising costs - including increases to minimum wage that make keeping on a team of employees challenging.
“Bills never stop and they only seem to go up”, he added.
“And that’s where people go ‘it’s not working, I can’t keep it up anymore’.”
Beyond his role behind the bar at the Frog and Parrot, Nick also runs the group Unight, which aims to give late-night traders a space to share advice and concerns.
The position gives him a unique glimpse into the evolving shape of Sheffield’s night-time economy, which he says continues to offer exciting options but is demanding publicans change their approach.
“There’s some really good operators in Sheffield with pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants,” he said.
“It’s challenging, I know some people keep flogging that dead horse and are doing it for the love of it.
“But these days there’s not a typical landlord and landlady - you tend to find there’s a full-time pub person and some one working full-time elsewhere.
“Gone are the days of the pub landlord driving a Jaguar and having a villa in Spain - they are well and truly gone.”
While Nick says that traditional, drink-only pubs will always have a place - supported by the fact that ‘Sheffield is blessed with some great brewers’ - he argues that more original and creative approaches will keep hospitality businesses alive.
He celebrated Kapital - a new German-style beer hall on Wellington Street - and the likes of Boom Battle Bar, which offer axe-throwing and other games to customers.
He added that Sheffield’s music scene continues to excel, offering plenty of entertainment opportunities, and that tourism is becoming a surprisingly exciting opportunity for the city.
“Whether it’s for the Arctic Monkeys or to buy cowboy boots at the shop on Division Street - we’ve had people from Chesterfield and Nottingham, as far up as Scotland and right down to Sommerset.”
Pubs may be facing new problems as increased costs and business rates continue to blight the hospitality sector, but Nick believes that in Sheffield ‘there’s something for everyone’.
“What really really helps is that in Sheffield people are friendly and they usually like a good night out.”