A POPULAR city pub has appointed a new manager in recent weeks. 

Caz Owen has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, managing multiple bars and clubs, including the NN Bar in Salisbury and Smokin’ Aces and Aruba in Bournemouth.

In the last week of March, Caz became the new manager of Deacons on Fisherton Street, after working with Dave Hancock’s The Immersive Group for three years.

Having already worked in Deacons for more than a year, she’s earned her own nickname with the pubgoers.

Caz said: “They call me the octopus because, the bar’s so small, I can serve five people at the same time.”

Caz said she has a few plans for Deacons’ near future and is “hoping to bring vibes back.”

She said: “I want to do karaoke. I think that would be fun. We’re going to do barbecues, industry Sundays, games nights. We also want to put a student night on.”

Some changes to Deacons will include opening for bank holidays and the industry Sundays, which will offer discounts for fellow hospitality workers.

Caz said: “I want to get all the hospitality people, who work in bars, the restaurants, anything in hospitality, to come down on a Sunday.”

Plans also include introducing some updates to mix old and new together at Deacons, maintaining the pub’s old spirit with some modernism, including an expanded drink selection with more cocktail options, making Deacons an appealing hangout spot for both young and old.

Caz said: “I want to mix the young and the old together and just have a good time.”

Caz’s aspiration for Deacons is for it to become a welcoming place where one can always be sure to meet a friend. She says she has achieved this before with previous bars she has run.

She said: “In Bournemouth, Smokin’ Aces was like the hub, so if you came in by yourself you always knew someone. So, I want that sort of atmosphere here. So if you want to go out by yourself, you know you’re always going to have a good time here.”

Caz said she is happy to have her own bar again in Salisbury after moving back from Bournemouth.

She said: “Lots of people have been coming in and visiting and congratulating me and stuff. I’m getting a bit overwhelmed, but it’s good."