Telford pub reopens with new licensee and plans to make venue busy again
A popular Telford pub has reopened its doors with a new licensee at the helm after being closed for more than a month.
The Wrekin View, in Milners Lane, Dawley Bank, is owned by Admiral Taverns and, unsurprisingly, looks out across towards the hill whose name it bares.
It's now being run by Mel Clarke, who has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years but not been in charge of a pub, until now.
"I was going to go for a pub just before Covid struck," she said. "Then I decided to do it now. It's a long-held ambition.
"It feels better than I thought (to be up and running). I thought I would be nervous but I'm not."
The pub reopened on Thursday, with a launch party the night before, and has seen a steady stream of customers since. Mel said some had already commented on how glad they were to see the pub trading again.
"It used to be a very, very busy place," she continued. "I know a lot of people, and they've said they would be coming back here. Trade should build up."
Football fans can gather to watch the closing matches of the World Cup, however the pub is currently without Sky Sports and BT packages, something Mel plans to change.
The new licensee also outlined other changes he plans to make over the coming weeks.
"We'll be doing food after Christmas," she said. "It will be a completely new menu, we've got a big menu with basically everything and a kids' menu and we're going to do vegetarian options."
Since taking on the leasehold Mel has been busy scrubbing the place to get it ready for opening, as well as clearing the kitchen out ready for the new food service.
"I will be doing a lot of painting over the next few months," she added.
Admiral Taverns, which owns the pub, is also pleased to see the venue up and running again.
Dolores Quigley, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns, commented: "The Wrekin View is a fantastic community pub and I couldn't think of a better person to take it forward, than Mel.
"She has exciting plans to ensure the pub sits at the heart of the community and brings a wealth of experience and local knowledge to the pub. I wish her and the team every success for the future."
