A combination of entrepreneurial flair and outstanding attention to detail has been rewarded with a top licensed trade award for two Manchester business partners.
Roger Ward and Steve Pilling, who run the historic city centre pub, Mr Thomas’s Chop House, have been crowned overall winners of the Punch Taverns Shine awards scheme.
Beating off stiff competition from 1,400 nominated Punch outlets around the UK, Roger and Steve won a regional award for ‘Best Food Experience,’ along with their place in the national final. Competing against 14 other finalists, they were announced as the overall event winners at a glittering ceremony in London.
The partners received a staggering 20 per cent of 8,400 plus votes cast by pub customers and fellow licensees in a tense telephone vote in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.
Said Roger: “We are both completely overwhelmed by this award, which is made even better coming from pub-goers and our industry peers. Getting this far has been a combined effort and I would like to thank all of the team at Mr Thomas’s for their ongoing commitment and support.
“With the help of Punch Taverns we have invested a great deal of time and money into Mr Thomas’s and this award is very much the next step in a detailed programme of ongoing development for the business.”
Mr Thomas’s Chop House is living proof of the old maxim that small is beautiful. Despite having under 1,000 square feet of licensed drinking area, in just a few years Roger, Steve and his team have grown beer volumes from less than 200 to over 700 barrels a year.
Former advertising agency boss Roger and trained chef, Steve, whose culinary credits include having cooked for the Queen, first joined forces at the Cross Street tavern in 2000. Since that time they have invested over £200,000 in partnership with Punch in improving facilities and restoring many of the Grade II listed Victorian building’s original features.
As this year’s Shine awards champions, they have won £1,000 cash, a holiday for two in Mauritius and £750 spending money, which is being given to staff members.
Head of communications for Punch Taverns, Nicola Highton, said: “This was our biggest competition yet. We received a record number of nominations and phone votes for the winners as well as managing to raise £20,000 for Marie Curie in the process. Steve and Roger have every right to feel very proud of their achievement.”
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