Life gets VERY exciting!

 

 

Oh My Goodness!!! Life is getting very exciting one way and another............. Just back from a fabulous 10 days in the sun and straight back into work.  But you know what - I'm so ready for it now!!

 

SOOOO here is the very exciting news I've been hinting at for a little while and it is that the Vic is going to have an absolutely fantabulous makeover in January 2014!!

 

Ever since we came to the Victoria Inn almost 5 years ago (My goodness - where has THAT time gone!!) we have done our best to make more use of the upstairs restaurant (yes, there IS one) and had all sorts of ideas. 

 

I always wanted to turn it into a set of 3 or 4 very fancy bedrooms to compliment the Hobbit House - but our brewery St Austell were never really in favour of it. I see why, because of course bedrooms do not sell beer - food does!  So, we also looked at a real Italian Pizza oven to sell our own authentic Italian Pizza's - but we just couldn't make it fit logistically. We have tried every which way to make more use of the space as a function room - but because of lack of parking etc - that never really took off either.

 

So in the last year or two as our business has got bigger and bigger, we have opened it up, almost as an overflow from the main pub and the garden (when the weather was poor) and it's started to become really accepted as a good extension to our offering - BUT -  always with the feeling its' a bit upstairs / downstairs.  Customers either like it or hate it - many have said it's too isolated, and with little or no atmosphere.........aargh!! To get to the garden you either have to know where the stairs are (despite signs) have staff point the way (can't tell you how many times a day in the summer we say stairs are that way Madam!) or else customers go 'Oh they're packed' and walk away!! It's all been most frustrating at times.

 

So, a couple of months ago SOH, myself, Head Chef James & Bar Manager Glo visited a pub in Cornwall with a spiral staircase and it was James (we will never be allowed to forget this!!) that said 'That could work well in the Vic'!

 

One phone-call and a couple of e mails later led to a meeting with our business development Manager Jim (from the brewery - St Austell) who thought we had the starts of a great idea.  But that actually, we were probably thinking a bit too small.................???

 

This led to a meeting with an architect, surveyor et al who agreed that a spiral staircase was not the answer - but that a whole approach to re-furbing the pub was!  How amazing that our brewery have the faith in us to think that big!!

 

So (pauses for breath!!) the long and the short of it is this;

• We'll close on or around the 6th January (to be confirmed) for 3 weeks
• A staircase will be put in from the entrance at the front of the pub right up and through to upstairs - with a bit of a mezzanine floor going on
• The upstairs bar and a cupboard will be knocked out
• Upstairs will have a reclaimed wood floor - not the existing carpet
• A wood burning stove with comfy seating
• Great new lighting
• Lots of arty stuff with pictures and mirrors
• Huge glass doors to the garden
• Some really high end garden furniture for the first terrace and finally;
• The whole pub will have a paint job

It's all going to be absolutely stunningly beautiful - and if you're in or around the area we have the plans and mood boards (see, I've got the architect language already!!) for you to look at and discuss with us. We met today with Matt from Trading Spaces about utilising furniture we have but making it 'shabby chic' (NOT shabby s**t!!) and I can't remember the last time I was this excited about any sort of project.......... (oh yes - getting married - but hardly a project!)

 

Already, we have had great feedback on this re-furb but there seems to be an over-riding fear that everyone's beloved 'Vic' will turn into some sort of corporate chained pub............. well let me tell you here and now that this won't be the case! 

 

We're simply going to make our Victoria Inn even more beautiful! I absolutely guarantee that you will be blown away by this re-furb - watch this space for more news as it happens over the next couple of months.

 

Liz x