Orpington pub will go now forward for the regional and national awards, writes Marijke Hall

“If you’ve got a great team behind you, the rest falls into place.”

It’s what Andy Roberts, general manager of The Rose and Crown in Orpington, believes is the key to success when it comes to running a great pub.

And for him it’s clearly worked, having just been named a county winner in the National Pub and Bar Awards 2021, the only one in Kent.

He admits he was pleasantly surprised, if not a bit shocked, to receive the accolade.

“I came here to make a difference at the pub and I think I’m doing that,” he said. “We’re not fine dining and we don’t profess to be. We do more than is expected of us and we get some great reviews.”

The gastropub was previously predominantly a wet-led pub, but Boris Johnson’s ‘substantial meal’ rule during lockdown that establishments had to serve food with alcohol helped give the food side of his business a boost.

“It really helped,” Andy admits. “We’re a large gastropub, everything is locally sourced, we’ve got the pub classics, we’ve got a barbecue shack and a pizza oven in our garden which is huge - we do 300 covers.

“We’ve got a reputation for quality food and good service.”

He says it’s the latter which he’s especially proud of.

“We have a lot of young and new staff, we cherry pick the best and they really look after customers,” he says. “It’s always something that’s been important to me.

“I was at TGI Fridays for years and their service standard is really high so I’ve implemented some of that theory here, in a different style. For example, staff will introduce themselves by name which makes it feel more personal.

“I do the same, I always introduce myself, say my name’s Andy and if they need anything to just come and find me or ask for me. I think it makes a big difference.”

He says his kitchen team is also second to none.

“My head chef is 24 and sous chef 21 and they outstrip any chefs I’ve ever worked with before,” he says. “The quality of the food and speed it comes out of the kitchen even when we’re really busy is fantastic.

“I believe that if you’ve got a great team behind you, the rest falls into place.”

During lockdown Andy, who has been general manager of the Green Street Green pub for three and a half years, says he and his team recognised the importance of staying connected with the community, particularly those who were vulnerable.

The pub offered food boxes, roast dinner takeaways as well as Christmas boxes.

It then opened its front doors for people walking past to get teas, coffees, bacon sandwiches and other on-the-go food.

“It didn’t make us a great deal of money, it was more to stay connected with the local community,” he says.

“There are quite a few walking routes around us and it meant people could exercise and come past to see us - mental health was so paramount at that time.

“We’re a family-run business and cash flow was incredibly tight but for us it was important to be there for the community.”

The National Pub & Bar Awards 2021 are organised in conjunction with Pub & Bar magazine and a grand final takes place in September, where 15 Regional Winners and the overall National Pub & Bar of the Year will be announced alongside: