Manchester Road Inn

The Manchester Road Inn is an old public house situated on the A572 in Astley. There are three housing estates in the vicinity, several schools and a golf driving range across the road. Apart from that the rest of the surrounding area is fields. I took over on 11th Dec 2006 after working in local pubs for approx. 10 years. The pub itself was in a run down state and shut, for 12 weeks, prior to me taking over. I had a battle on my hands!! Much cleaning and tidying later we opened for business on 15th Dec to trade for Christmas and get to know the regulars (if they hadn't moved on to somewhere else!) The reception we received was fantastic and it was obvious that a lot of people loved and cared for the pub and they were glad to see it back open. Following new year Punch Taverns, my brewery, shut us down for a full refurb! It only took 4 weeks during which time they gutted the place- not doing anything majorly structural- just bringing us up to date, brightening us up and replacing all the floors, seats, beer pumps, bar backs and making provisions for my smokers! We re-opened on Friday 2nd Feb 2007. The first couple of weeks were crucial as first impressions last - I believe stongly in this. Six months later and we've won pub of the year in the local paper the Leigh Journal! The competition was actually voted for by the public instead of a panel of judges which makes it mean all the more to us. Now we are trading as a family friendly, local traditional pub. We offer an extensive snack and main menu - complete with a 'lighter appetites' section for senior citizens and juniors or for people with small appetites. Food is served 12-2.30pm and 6-9 pm Mon - Fri and 12-9 pm Sat and Sun. The bar is well stocked offering a choice of traditional cask ales, the more modern extra cold lagers & smooth flow bitters and a huge range of soft drinks for the drivers! The bar is open every day from 12pm til 11pm (Sat & Sun 12am!) The pub itself is naturally divided into two areas the main bar area where the bulk of our regulars sit and chat or watch live sky sports on our two 37" LCD televisions. The restaurant seats approx 36 people and this is where we hold any christenings, birthday parties and of course the unforgettable karaoke nights! We also have a beer garden with a sheltered and heated smoking area which is invaluable now that the smoking ban is here! week to co-inside with winning the competition and the advert with yourselves we are starting to run a steak night on Tuesdays and a curry night on Wednesdays to add to the already running Karaoke on Fridays The future looks bright! Next month as the new football season begins we will see an increase in trade and hopefully the weather will book its ideas up! (Fingers crossed on that one) and of course with Christmas fast approaching we will be serving Xmas meals from beginning Dec including Xmas Day! Finally I would just like to say that none of this has been done on my own. I have a fantastic team behind me and I really can't take all the credit for this one. My staff are second to none and my parents have been absolutely brilliant and have kept me sane on many occasions