‘It’s a lifestyle, not a job’: New manager of Old Queens Head reveals plans for Sheffield’s oldest pub

The new management of the Old Queens Head has spoken about plans to transform Sheffield’s oldest domestic building back into the heart of the city. 

The pub, which reportedly dates back to 1475, was listed as needing new tenants earlier this year by Thwaits. 

Now 49-year-old Lisa Yates, who works for Huddersfield-based management company Titan Pubs Solution Ltd, has revealed her plans as the new general manager of this historic venue. 

The mum-of-four, who was born in Attercliffe, said: "I've just spent the last four or five years in Derbyshire where I was managing pubs. I came out of the pub trade as a general manager last November, I decided to semi-retire and take a step back.

"Then as soon as Craig Isaac [the managing director of Titan] mentioned the Old Queens in Sheffield, I said ‘that’s it, I’m coming out of retirement. Don’t give it to anybody else, I want that pub’.

"It's stood the test of time - in the 500 years since it was built it has seen so many things. It has survived two world wars, a pandemic - it’s still trading, and people want to come in and are so excited by its history."

Since taking over the pub on Friday October 6, Lisa, who has 30 years of experience in hospitality, and 25-year-old head chef Ryan Orton have worked hard to create a new food menu which was unveiled on November 1.

Lisa says it has had lots of positive reviews so far, and it will be tweaked based on customer feedback.

The team is also looking into launching entertainment at the pub to suit its diverse range of clientele. This will include live music, open mic nights, and a classic pub quiz.

She said: "We've come in and wiped the board clean. We’ve introduced a new menu, new products on the bar, and basically given it a bit of TLC that it needed.

"I plan on hopefully kicking off the live music events for Christmas. I've already been in contact with various people and students studying music degrees at Hallam that are really interested in coming down and playing a few acoustic sets for us."

Lisa added that the best thing since taking over the pub has been meeting her customers. She said: "The reception that I’ve had since taking over and how friendly everyone is has been amazing. 

"On Saturday it was only me on the bar and my head chef was in the kitchen and it was absolutely bedlam, but not one of the customers complained about having to wait to be served. The people that have been in and out have been so good, friendly, and welcoming."

The food menu is currently served from 12pm to 4pm, and then 5pm to 8pm Monday to Saturday. It includes a range of pub classics from hunters chicken, pie and veggie lasagne, to sarnies, including the popular posh fish finger sandwich.

Titan Pubs Solution has another 12 other pubs under its belt in the Huddersfield and Wakefield area, plus The Sheaf View on Gleadless Road, near Heeley.