Popular Linby pub is back open under new management

Locals were left stunned last October when it was announced the popular Main Street venue was closing down.

But now, the pub is back open again under the new management of Phil Martin.

Phil, aged 50, is from Wollaton originally and although pubs have only been a small part of his career – he last ran one in Basford 20 years ago – his life has always been in the hospitality trade, running music venues, nightclubs, bars and managing bar facilities at music festivals.

But the chance to take on the Horse & Groom was just too good an opportunity to turn down.

He said: “I think it’s a beautiful pub in a lovely village and seeing the footprints of it, I thought there was enormous potential for it.

"I always said if I was to go back into the pub industry, it would need to be a special one and this is exactly that."

One of the reasons the previous manager closed the pub was escalating costs, excerbated by the Covid pandemic.

But Phil is confident he will turn that around.

He continued: “We opened a couple of weeks ago so we’ve had two weekends now and the support on both from the local community has been enormous and quite overwhelming.

"People are just thrilled to bits to see it open again and we’re getting comments all the time that we’re a warm and friendly team, that we welcome everybody, talk to as many as we can and it’s the little things that we’re implementing that are making the difference.

"I’ve always has a minimum service standard for my team that I expect them to work to and that has immediately been noted by everyone that’s come in.

"For me, there’s nothing particularly difficult about this industry, it’s all about making it simple and doing the simple things well."

An example of that is the new food menu that Phil has introduced with simple pub grub, as he puts it, all sourced from local suppliers in and around the area.

He said: “We’re supporting local businesses which ticks a lot of boxes with the community, we’re introducing a new regular pie night and we’re bringing back Sunday roasts.

"Initially, I want to just find my feet over the next five or six weeks and getting people back in and then longer term, exploring utilising the outdoor areas as we head into spring and summer.

"People were in a state of shock almost when the pub closed down before, they missed out on Christmas and new year here and for me, where it’s situated, this pub should be the heart and hub of the local community and it’s my outlook to make it that again.

"You look at it and you can see the potential and I’ve got a lot of experience in this field and that’s something I want to explore with this.”