CROWN INN, SARRE. THE CHERRY BRANDY HOUSE. Thanet's halfway house outpost has new tenants, let's see what they have done with the place.

Today I will take you on a journey to one of Thanets furthest out posts in the ancient village of Sarre.

Sitting upon a prominent corner plot junction on the route to and from Canterbury it is instantly recognizable. 

The Crown Inn and Cherry Brandy House 

The new tenants have moved in and I have been curtain twitching since. 

I have written this from quite a personal perspective, but I have never stepped foot inside. This is a muse about the question what if because I saw it listed as available and I fancied a crack at it, I worked out what I could do here, I got quite excited until the boss said no!

I've had a bit of a thing for this place since I noted it's listing on Shepherd Neames available pubs for tenants list last year. The previous tenant wanted to retire and so with fascination sparked I did my usual rummaging for the online goss. 

It's a proud building, iconic some might say. Its bold and descriptive signage is unmistakable.  This has all the hallmarks and finery of an incredible country pub. 

I think what surprised me most was that despite its striking persona, in business terms it was actually somewhat of a shrinking violet.

It was every bit a pub I will point out, but reviewing its online presence and decor it was clear it was stuck in the past. 

It appeared to have been updated in the 1980's, so it's old but it lost that charm of its true years and retained the old tat you don't really want.

Kitsch I think would be the word, but some people like that, just not me in a place like this.

It's website back then was a relic from the mid 2000's, a time when it was cool to have everything on its main page, likely produced by the mate who said he would do it for a drink. 

In today's world of essential and effective internet presence it was as inviting as free ticket on a deep sea submarine sightseeing trip.

Their Facebook page was just as revealing with a few random pictures with no structure, just as and when the mood took them, and they hadn't been in the mood for a few years.

Trip advisor was a bit more revealing. Most mentions were about how pleasant the landlord was, how much the landlord could talk about the history of the place. People love passionate and emotionally invested people don't they? It adds to the experience, it makes you feel attached somehow. 

This is something the world misses now, the attachment to something meaningful.

I was pleased to see food featured here serving traditional fayre occasionally drifting into the realms of skill and ambition,  but mainly safe average choices. 

Presentation was a bit like getting your hair cut by your Nan who used to be a hairdresser in her younger days. Yes she can cut hair and she she doesn't charge but if you're going out to somewhere nice, you better go to someone with a steady hand and an eye for style.

There is nothing wrong with that mind you, I admire pubs which serve very average food cooked well for reasonable money and they fill seats, traditional pubs aren't relics of the past, they just have to be in the right spot and deliver consistency. My buzz word is they have to remain attractive.

However there is a new thing attacking pub food  businesses now, it's called convenience.

People are cutting back on conveniences and it's killing food led traditional pubs. Now families are financially struggling, not many see the value of taking a family out spending £10 to £15 a head on a plate of food. Add a few drinks and staring at the bill for £80 wondering if you've got enough left in the account to put fuel in the car to get to work in the morning. Definitely won't be leaving a tip.

Most people now are trying to feed the whole family for a fiver back at home. 

This is exactly why huge pub chains are suffering now, because their target market can't afford it anymore.

Pubs that survive now are those that give people a reason to be there, above and beyond all others. An average offering leaves you at the will of the foot soldier. People vote with their feet now, more than ever.

The Crown Inn is a destination pub. 

Sarre only has 221 people living here, according to the 2021 census. 

You have to draw people to you from far and wide. 

As a customer you have to really want to come here for a reason.... And this place just didn't really have a reason.

This place was ripe for the taking.

This was a classic case of in the right hands this could become one of the most popular and sought after country pubs in Kent.

Here are a few reasons why:

Rooms

It has rooms and 14 of them, most of them doubles.. Now I'm really turned on. 

This makes a pub business really viable.

I'm thinking 14 rooms at bare basic £50 per night is £700 a day times by 365 equals £255,500 of extra revenue, but a potentially delightful boutique Inn like this should be able to command £100 upwards, so over £511,000pa before we even consider the rest of the opportunities. My head is about to explode with creative man juice.

Weddings and Events

Many moons ago I had a village pub around Canterbury. We were AA rosette holders for our food, with a TV personality Executive Chef providing direction for our menus.

 

But what really made money was the weddings. 

We had rooms which meant it was a great option to provide full venue hire, but we was also licensed for civil ceremonies, so people got married there as well. It was particularly beautiful when we could use the Gazebo in the garden, it made for a beautiful Kentish wedding location. 

There is nothing stopping that being replecated at the Crown Inn.

The Cherry Brandy house. 

The iconography is alluring. 

Using the provenance of what is already there is a gift.

Nothing is more Kentish than Cherries, and Brandy is just Brandy, it oozes self confidence and sophistication.

I wished there was a large fire licked copper alcohol-still in place that continued to create this splendidly famous liquor and producing a limited number of artisan bottles. I wanted this glorious name to stand for something and sadly it didn't, all I could gather was that it was possible to buy cherry Brandy by the bottle that was bought in, but was bereft of any another intelligent link. 

An opportunity missed maybe but one to play with again.

The truth

I was eyeing The Crown and thinking, is this the one that's going to pull me back behind the bar?

The reality 

Two words kept rattling through my head.

Shepherd.... and Neame.

Why did it have to be a Shepherd Neame. Bollocks.

The entry costs were about 60k but it was the rent and business rates that I was scared of, let alone the tied agreement with the brewery which is infamous for being the noose around the tenants neck. 

Then the boss waded in.

"Why on earth would anyone want to go all the way out there to stay? Plus I would never see you!" The all knowledgeable, powerful and wise wife said. 

Well she would be true in that she would never see me at least (that would suit some people down to the ground) but those sweeping words were enough to calm my twitching palm. That was the end of that.

Day dreaming about it again

It didn't stop me thinking about it though. Oh how I fantasized.

I'm thinking stunning food that pays homage to the Kent coast and countryside, I'm thinking dinner bed and breakfast deals to include a 3 course meal and breakfast and room for the night for romantic getaways. I'm thinking weddings and celebrations with options for full venue hire meaning whole families can stay. I'm googling the route of the nearby river Stour to see if it is feasible to arrive by river. I'm thinking artisan cherry brandy being distilled on the premises. I'm thinking of foraging wild fauna for a true taste of the Kent countryside. I'm thinking of take away options for local residents. I'm thinking of the best Sunday lunch people will travel for. I'm thinking of tapping into the local business estates and what they might want. 

When a pub offers this many opportunities, you can do everything you ever wanted.

Curtain twitcher 

I kept my eye on the listing, like a curtain twitcher eyeing for the milkman making a flustered exit from number 44 across the road...

Then the online listing disappeared . Booo.

Time passed slowly whilst I paced up and down waiting to see who had it and what their plans were.

The news dropped on Kent Online 

It was taken by a couple who already had a pub in Herne Bay. A drinkers football pub. It was also a Shepherd Neame and they fancied taking on something else.

""We are keen to serve home-cooked food, and we hope to be able to do weddings next year" they said in the newspaper article.

I have watched from afar as they have built their business from scratch, set up their kitchen, developed their menu. 

The menu is a comprehensive approach to pub grub, by their own words they have strived to provide something for everyone. Two words of caution, Brewers Fayre. But where a major pub chain might be looking to sell 300 restaurants that serve the same type of food, The Crown Inn may actually be perfectly placed because despite its apparent isolation, it is actually surrounded by homes and small businesses which could support it.

Their social media is full of events including singers, and murder mystery nights and clairvoyants. 

It seems nothing is beyond the scope if it brings people through the door, and good luck to them.

These are indeed troubling times for the industry, and they need every bit of help, so give their FACEBOOK a like and hopefully make a point to visit soon.

THE CROWN INN, SARRE