The Marlow Market - will it turn into the old Crown?
Like all new management regimes that come into force from time to time they tend to start off with big ideas in order to have the 'new broom sweeps clean' mentality with the inevitable failure in the short term further down the line and everything reverts back to its previous status quo seemingly as some sort of bigger natural order thing in this world.
This appears to be what has happened to our beloved Crown pub at the top of Marlow High Street.
Last Christmas they tried to implement a new 'customer' policy even before the refurbishment took place - they banned me and my mates on a Friday because we were over 40. The excuse they gave was that they didn't want to have any more groups of blokes. We were dumbfounded.
We found out the real 'ageist' reason by security staff who we knew rather well. The pub remained empty every weekend for a whole 6 weeks during Christmas - that was a great business decision by the new management wasn't it?
Well then came the reopening & the 'members club'. We all fell about laughing at the requirements (personal interview with 'B' & forking out £100 membership fee if you pass the interview - is this a joke? - its a ruddy pub for Christ's sake).
So we stayed away & just watched as the pub remained empty every weekend - I deliberately flashed my wallet to the doormen as a joke as we passed by taking our money to the Lion for the late licensee.
Well then came the name change - The market! Who dreamt up that idea?? To anybody who has enjoyed the Crown it will always be the Crown to real Marlow people. You just can't sweep away decades of pub or a buildings history with a simple name change.
Anyway, guess what....we are back in as a group of blokes, casual clothing and shoes and FREE access to the first floor club room.I sn't it amazing how slow the penny can drop for these outside managers to realise that not every pub can turn itself into the money tree of the Claytons Lounge which is pretty unique.
The clientelel are different I must admit - more outsiders from Slough,Wycombee & Maidenhead which is a shame so we only stay for an hour to oggle at the strange fashions and silly scruffy look hair cuts (it takes that long for the inexperienced and slow bar staff to find you in the shallow queue).
Anyway, its well off its original concept of 'select clientel' willing to pay over the odds & happy to be treated like turd on a shoe by management.
BUT.....will it ever get back to the young brash in your face and on the edge type of pub that the Crown was? Not while the real Marlovians now have a fantastic choice of alternatives such as the Lion & the Cross Keys.
If you want to see & pass time with real Marlow characters then these two pubs are the place to be for the late licenses - not the Market. I think the Crown will regain its crown one day but only when the current landlord or management fail to reinvest in the place so it starts looking tatty & have gone bust or sold on ready for the next eager landlord or manager with big ideas to fall in line.
Come back Colin - that's what I say.
This appears to be what has happened to our beloved Crown pub at the top of Marlow High Street.
Last Christmas they tried to implement a new 'customer' policy even before the refurbishment took place - they banned me and my mates on a Friday because we were over 40. The excuse they gave was that they didn't want to have any more groups of blokes. We were dumbfounded.
We found out the real 'ageist' reason by security staff who we knew rather well. The pub remained empty every weekend for a whole 6 weeks during Christmas - that was a great business decision by the new management wasn't it?
Well then came the reopening & the 'members club'. We all fell about laughing at the requirements (personal interview with 'B' & forking out £100 membership fee if you pass the interview - is this a joke? - its a ruddy pub for Christ's sake).
So we stayed away & just watched as the pub remained empty every weekend - I deliberately flashed my wallet to the doormen as a joke as we passed by taking our money to the Lion for the late licensee.
Well then came the name change - The market! Who dreamt up that idea?? To anybody who has enjoyed the Crown it will always be the Crown to real Marlow people. You just can't sweep away decades of pub or a buildings history with a simple name change.
Anyway, guess what....we are back in as a group of blokes, casual clothing and shoes and FREE access to the first floor club room.I sn't it amazing how slow the penny can drop for these outside managers to realise that not every pub can turn itself into the money tree of the Claytons Lounge which is pretty unique.
The clientelel are different I must admit - more outsiders from Slough,Wycombee & Maidenhead which is a shame so we only stay for an hour to oggle at the strange fashions and silly scruffy look hair cuts (it takes that long for the inexperienced and slow bar staff to find you in the shallow queue).
Anyway, its well off its original concept of 'select clientel' willing to pay over the odds & happy to be treated like turd on a shoe by management.
BUT.....will it ever get back to the young brash in your face and on the edge type of pub that the Crown was? Not while the real Marlovians now have a fantastic choice of alternatives such as the Lion & the Cross Keys.
If you want to see & pass time with real Marlow characters then these two pubs are the place to be for the late licenses - not the Market. I think the Crown will regain its crown one day but only when the current landlord or management fail to reinvest in the place so it starts looking tatty & have gone bust or sold on ready for the next eager landlord or manager with big ideas to fall in line.
Come back Colin - that's what I say.
posted by The eye at
12:45 PM
2 Comments:
Good witty article :) Should be more blogs and local news on Marlow to bring us together in times like these. We need to keep people in Marlow and create some inter-connectedness between people, businesses and the like. We need better parking...more public events - take a look at Spain or other european countries...every weekend there is another festival and it galvanises the local people...sigh
By
Anonymous, at 2:29 AM
awwww - have you stopped drinking? i bet you're down at brewery night @ rebellion. see you there. shame you stopped this blog...
By
frank, at 9:38 AM
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