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Last orders for Sevenoaks pubs? |
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Page 6 of 7
 Andrew Palmer, The Rifleman, Camden Road
ANDREW PALMER, The Rifleman, Camden Road
Andrew Palmer of the Rifleman in Camden Road is bucking the trend and proving that a traditional pub can survive by selling beer in a quiet residential street with little or no passing trade. Freshly painted inside and out, this Greene King pub is welcoming and spotlessly smart without trying to be fashionable. Andrew doesn’t open at lunchtimes from Monday to Thursday, and runs the pub himself with occasional part-time help at weekends. He’s confident of still being in business five years from now.
With a garden and a specially built shelter, he has weathered the smoking ban. And with a car park, he finds customers are attracted by word of mouth from all over Sevenoaks, not just the neighbouring streets. The Rifleman has three real ales, four lagers, two large friendly dogs, two darts teams, two pool teams and one dart board. Children are discouraged inside the bar and he doesn’t serve food, but Andrew says turnover has increased in each of the three years since he took over. Like every other landlord, he has strong views on competition from supermarkets. “It annoys me. People drink cheap lager at home, then go to the pub and we get blamed for drunken behaviour when most of what they put away is drunk at home.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 April 2008 )
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