Honiton bar to return 'bigger and better' after lockdown expansion project

A popular bar in the heart of Honiton has turned lockdown into a golden opportunity to make the premises bigger and better than before, ready for a welcome return to business on July 4 - providing the Government give the go-ahead.

Bruv's Bar on the High Street was only open six months before having to close due to the coronavirus crisis. Fortunately, the family-run independent business has had enough support from the town to see them through, and have even been busy expanding!

"We're really excited to reopen. It's been tough for lots of reasons, but we've made good use of the time and can't wait to invite customers back," Owner, Lauren Hagon told Honiton Nub News.

She continued: "Working behind the bar you get to know people and become friends, plus the team we employ are all local and absolutely fantastic. It sounds cliché, but we are like a big family."

Speaking of the forced closure back in March, she said: "It's obviously not ideal and we've missed out on the start of summer and hot sunny bank holidays; but it has given us a chance to work on some major improvements."

Bruv's Bar has been busy on a few big projects and implementing lots of positive enhancements, making their imminent reopening all the more exciting.

"Firstly, we've completely refurbished the toilets. Everything is brand new, from the tiles to the urinals, so it's really nice and fresh," Lauren explained.

"We've also made them more accessible and included baby-changing facilities, which is part of our overall objective to open up the bar for everyone.

"With that in mind, we now have ramps for all the steps and a doorbell system linked to the bar, so that staff are alerted if anyone requires any assistance.

"We don't want any of our customers to feel excluded."

In the technology department, Bruv's Bar is currently developing a new mobile app that will enable customers to order from their tables.

"We were working on it before the lockdown, but it also works well with Covid-19 safety measures, as it reduces the number of people at the bar and helps maintain social distancing. We're really looking forward to launching it."

Another crucial factor affecting pubs reopening amid a pandemic is outside space. Bruv's Bar is fortunate in this respect and has completely revamped their garden.

"We're lucky that we have a lot of room out the back in our outdoor area. I'm really pleased with how it's now looking, as it's something we didn't manage to complete before we opened.

"We've bought a new set of outdoor tables and chairs. There are also plants and flowers dotted around and fairy lights strung up, which creates a lovely, atmospheric space."

Finally, and probably the most hotly-anticipated development, is the new Bruv's Bar kitchen - kitted out with state of the art appliances.

To give us a flavour of what we can expect from the menu, Lauren explained: "We're going to be doing cooked breakfasts, gourmet burgers, speciality fries and sandwiches.

"Our aim is to always support local businesses where we can and this goes for our suppliers.

"It also means we're expanding our team to include kitchen staff and are currently in the process of recruiting members of the community to join us."

Check out the Bruv's Bar Facebook page for all their latest news.