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Last orders for Sevenoaks pubs? |
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Page 4 of 7
 Jon Austin, Landlord, The Kentish Rifleman, Dunk's Green
JON AUSTIN, The Kentish Rifleman, Dunk's Green
Jon Austin of the 16th century Kentish Rifleman at Dunk’s Green suffered every landlord’s worst nightmare in March 2007 when an electrical fault in the roof set his 16th century pub ablaze. After two years of owning the freehold, his home and his business went up in smoke. “It was seven in the evening, so we were up and around, and nobody was hurt, so it could have been a lot worse. The roof went, the first floor was badly damaged and most of the ground floor.”
Some might have been tempted to walk away, but this former food industry executive is now back in business after a year of rebuilding. The dining area has now expanded to include what was the kitchen, leaving the bar by the front door for drinkers.
Jon owns the freehold, so unlike most landlords, he is beholden to nobody and can run his business exactly the way he wants. With a dining area that can seat 45, serving food is crucial to the pub, which gets little passing trade. It’s a popular destination for meals out, but Jon is determined to retain the pub’s role as a place where people can still feel comfortable standing at the bar. “A lot of pubs are restaurants. Food is terribly important, and I wanted not to go backwards in terms of food turnover. But we are a pub, a community centre, and I wanted to give the locals the opportunity of coming out. I didn’t want to forget the drinkers.”
He’s installed an old-fashioned footrail in the bar, to the bemusement of some younger drinkers who aren’t sure what it’s for. Asked about the future of his pub, which has been serving beer continuously since 1618, he says: “There is no point in moaning. A lot of things have conspired against us, but we just have to knuckle down and give the customer what the customer wants.”
Neither the smoking ban nor the low prices charged by supermarkets will be fatal, he believes. “What do people come out for? Acceptable food at an acceptable price in a nice place with nice service. I think the great British pub still has a tremendous role to play. When people walk in the door and get a nice smile and a nice welcome, it’s a delight to walk into. There will be fewer pubs in five or ten years time, but the strong ones will win through and that’s possibly not a bad thing. It’s going to be seriously hard work.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 April 2008 )
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