TWO landlords have been praised for restoring a favourite pub to its former glory, just 16 weeks after taking over the establishment.

After a mixture of owners in 2020, Stephen West and Reece Brown became landlords of The Royal George, and despite the obstacles brought in by the Covid-19 crisis, visitors have commended the new owners for their efforts in recreating the welcoming community pub.

As part of the Journal’s ‘pub of the week’ feature, one nominator said: “This pub has had a succession of temporary landlords who in the main have not really cared and interacted with locals.

“Steve and Reece have changed this, bringing back food, clearly investing time and effort in keeping great beer, and [providing] one of the best pints of Guinness in Salisbury.

“They have a real appetite to welcome everybody, local or not, and everyone gets on. A fantastic local once again.”

When asked what makes the pub special, they added: “People. Simple as that. Also the effort that Steve and Reece have put in to getting the pub back to how it is. I am certain that when Covid is done, they will reap the rewards deservedly.”

Echoing this, another customer said: “There’s always a friendly person to talk to and never any problems or trouble which makes the pub very special.”

Describing The Royal George as “a country pub in the city”, Stephen said: “It’s a fantastic pub with fantastic customers, it just needed a bit of TLC [tender loving care] and now we’re ready to get it back on the map.”

With lots of regulars, Stephen added: “It’s the customers that make it so special, their support has been brilliant.”

Talking about the impact of Covid-19, in particular the intervals when pubs were open, Stephen said: “We have made it as safe as possible and taken every precaution, there is no more we can do.

“It’s important that our customers feel safe, and then they will keep coming back. We haven’t had [the pub] out of Covid yet so we can’t wait to see what it can do.”

Some live acts are already booked to perform at the pub on Bedwin Street, as the pair hopes for a relaxing of lockdown measures by the spring.

Visit The Royal George Facebook page here.

To nominate your favourite local pubs click here.

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