Jolly Sailor and Puss in Boots keep communities connected in lockdown
By keeping the coffee shops open, they have been able to keep a few staff at work , easing the burden on the taxpayers’ furlough as well as keeping some of their local independent suppliers going.
At the Jolly Sailor and Puss in Boots, the Almond family worked hard to ensure their local customers didn’t feel isolated and lonely as the second lockdown and tier 3 restrictions returned to Stockport.
Following the success of their coffee shops during and since the first lockdown, when closed again for the second, they wanted to continue to serve their local communities as best they could.
They decided to keep the Puss in Boots and Jolly Sailor open to give people some semblance of ‘normal’ life and to help tide the Almond Family Group of Pubs over until they were allowed to open again.
By keeping the coffee shops open, they have been able to keep a few staff at work , easing the burden on the taxpayers’ furlough as well as keeping some of their local independent suppliers going.
Some of their lone-living regulars now have a reason to pop out and see familiar faces for a chat. Arthur (90) and Mary (78) come for breakfast lunch and tea!
However, while the coffee shops were running successfully from inside the pub when we were open, it wasn’t as easy when we were closed to get the message out there that they were still serving
“We managed to source two trailers to present and serve our coffees, pastries, cakes and bacon and sausage sandwiches from the front of the pubs and they have been a roaring success. We have extended our offering at the Puss in Boots to include baked potatoes, big bratwurst sausages and daily casseroles.
“We have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback about these on our social media pages and directly to our teams who are working.
“We first launched take-aways in the first lockdown from the Jolly Sailor and we have continued with this since we were allowed to reopen in July. With a menu that consists of our pub favourites, hearty braised dishes and roast chicken sharers these have proved popular with customers who are missing their meals with us.”
“We have used this time to launch our take-away at the Puss in Boots and soon Fletchers Arms. We are working with partners to allow us to home deliver and have launched with Uber Eats.
“It has been a very difficult year for all and hospitality has been hit hard. Throughout it, we have continued to stay positive and have been able to adapt quickly to the ever-changing rules and regulations from the government.
“We have invested in extending our outside dining areas, with heated and covered stretch tents; the Stowaway at the Jolly Sailor and Strayaway ay the Puss in Boots, which look spectacular and have proven very popular. We look forward to using these spaces again once we reopen.
“Looking forward to Christmas, we are currently waiting on more information from the government about how that may look. We are hoping to be open, there’s nothing we want more than to serve our communities safely after what has been an awful year for all.”
Doug, James & Vicki – The Almond family
