The Red Cross Inn, Reigate

Hi there folks-
I feel this might be getting a little bit tired here, but I will carry on regardless as I'm sure some of you may be interested. My name's Katie and between myself, my partner Jamie and our assistant Sean- we are the newest team at The Red Cross- and as it's a whole new company I hope to say (with some certainity) that we will be here for a fair while yet. I have read through all the comments here and taken all your comments on board so thank you for your feedback- and I hope you continue to provide it- feel free to private message me if you would like a response directly from me.
I'd like to clarify a couple of things:
Firstly- the pub is now MUCH cleaner- alot of effort has been put into getting it this way and it will be kept this way.
Secondly- We have refurbished. I am aware that what has happened here has not fully refurbished the premises- the toilets are the next thing on the "to-do" list- alas I am at the mercy of the company builders on this one as I have been strongly discouraged from taking on any decorating work (yes, I am more than capable, but no I will not do what I have been asked not to)- the roof and the glazing are both in the middle of quotation stage and will then have to go through planning permission before being completed.
Thirdly- I apologise for the lack of ales- it is lovely to see a pub with 5 real ales in place, however (as I'm sure all you Real Ale enthusiasts are aware) it is really not viable to have that kind of selection if you don't have the custom to purchase the beers -they don't have a very long retail life. It is with horror that I took over to find (when added together) the equivalent of 18 barrels of wasted real ale fermenting away in the cellar. We love real ales- why would we like to see them poorly managed and going to waste? We have decided to keep on a Pilgrim as our house ale, and will guest other beers each week. As our custom grows- so will our range of ales, in the meantime I will try as hard as I can to broaden the horizons of our brews (although please remember that I am subject to tighter ties than the previous management).
And finally- we are new managers, it is a new company and we have launched a very different kind of menu to what has been in place here before. I would like to follow the lead of Derek and Petra (?) who were well liked and are still regarded fondly by many customers. If any of you would like to offer any constructive criticism I will be more than happy to discuss our pub with you until the cows come home. I do wish you all well- and would like to welcome you all back to The Red Cross with open arms.
Katie.x.

24 Jul 2009 01:01