Whatever Next - again

I live at the bottom of a hill. At the back of the house, on the main road and up a steep slope is a pub, which has a bit of a reputation for having a few fights. In fact I heard that it was on its last warning for fighting.

I have never been in it (I am a very boring person and don't really go to pubs) but it looked okay, though possibly a bit rough, and I have tolerated the loud karaoke evenings and discos with as much patience as I could. People seemed to be enjoying themselves and I don't have a problem with that.

Now it has been sold.

Pubs are having a hard time as it is, what with supermarket drink and the smoking ban. If you add in a reputation for fighting it is a hard pub to sell. Because if you try and change the pub too much the regulars won't go, and if you don't change it the licence will go because of fighting.

That Landlord has bought it.

I am intrigued. He already has a pub which does not have trouble, but also doesn't have a good reputation for beer etc. He is not what I would consider a natural landlord, but what would I know. However, according to local gossip, he has decided to turn it into a restaurant.

I would not consider it ideal for a restaurant. The area immediately around the pub is social housing, and there are a lot of problems. There isn't a very big car park either, though it is directly uphill from a bus stop. It is opposite a takeaway that has orders from miles around and a really good reputation.

That Landlord, though, gets a bit carried away. For all I know he could be planning a swimming pool there next week.

Regardless I shall watch with interest. The house behind us has been 'being done up' for around two years now, and it isn't that big. That Landlord sort of wanders round projects and thinks about stuff and gets carried away. The back of his first pub has been half developed (breaches of planning permission, forgetting to pay people, changing minds) for years and years. The practical effect of That Landlord is that he has lots of plans, but talks a lot and stuff gets run further and further down as he doesn't do eg decoration or essential repairs.

I hope it doesn't get left as an eyesore - there are so many good things going on around here at the moment it would be a shame.