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You’re always on the lookout for new spaces. What would you deem the perfect site or establishment to take on?...
I don’t want to give away my trade secrets here! You can see what sort of sites I think work by coming to the pubs! One of the key things for us, is that people have lots of options of things to do throughout the week. Most people don’t come to the pub just to drink beer anymore.
Have you got any tips for someone looking to open a bar/venue? Location is the obvious choice but are there any other nailed on things they must do first to get started and then to survive?...
You need to get people through the door, so many people think they can open somewhere and spend lots of money on the chef, or the decor, but if you don’t build a loyal customer base and let the world know what you are doing, the business will fail. Marketing is key to the success of a business for me.
You must be well chuffed with how Last Days of Shoreditch has started life, especially as it is a slight move away from the pub game?...
Yep, we are really pleased with the way the venue has evolved over the last 18 months. It’s difficult when you are dealing with a space that is so temporary, it’s hard to know how much to invest. I think we
have created a great space there though and it also allows us to programme a really solid dj line up, combined with amazing food and drink. It’s very similar to what we do in the pubs in that sense, it’s just a bigger set up and it’s a lot more focussed on the weekend.
Do you think British nightlife and our pub/drinking culture as we know it is under threat? It’s a burning subject at the minute...
It’s definitely under threat! From all angles as well - taxes, health concerns, gentrification, other leisure options, etc. However, I do still believe that if you do something well and give people a good enough reason to come out that you can still build great businesses. The nightclub arena certainly seems to be tougher than pubs at the moment and in some respects I am glad that I didn’t become a nightclub owner!
We’ve given you an endless budget (hypothetically by the way, haha!) and asked you to lay on the event of all events for one night only and anyone past or present can be there. What’s it going to be and where?...
I’m doing it for my 40th next year, all my friends and family will be there, it’s in a lovely house in the countryside near Glastonbury, we will have some great food, drink and music - what more does a man need? I suppose if I could choose anyone to play past or present it would be Prince, but as he’s no longer with us, I will probably have to make do with Geddes and Tayo on the decks
www.electricstarpubs.co.uk
DECEMBER 2017 9
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