A family-run pub in Cliftonwood fears it may have to reduce its opening hours due to soaring electricity costs. The Lion on Church Lane is currently open from Wednesday to Sunday but may look to reduce this to three days a week and close during quieter times.
“If it doesn’t have the meat to the bones that it used to have every single day, those days that we don’t - we’re going to have to look at reducing hours, admitted Fiona Vincent, who has owned the pub for 14 years. “We’d be making a loss just by being open.
“It all depends on what happens going forward. Something will have to change soon otherwise we’re going to be in hot water.”
Read more: Community pub in Bristol fears 80 per cent off of summer customers
The pub was hoping that the mini budget would have given a mini VAT reduction on food which would have helped all of the hospitality industry. "We were a little disappointed on that," she added.
Fiona’s electric bills are rocketing from 18p kW per unit to 80 kW meaning it’s expensive just to keep the pub open on quieter days. They would be looking to turn off some of their fridges for a few days a week, which typically have to run throughout the night.
“It’s causing massive issues. I am working just to pay for the electric at the moment. It’s been through all sorts of ups and downs, but we’ve weathered the storm thus far. We just keep changing ourselves to make it fit, but you can only morph yourselves so many times.”
Adaptation has proven key to survival for many businesses in the hospitality industry. Kask on North Street told BristolLive how it was essential when they opened back in 2019, and moulded the business around the customer's wants - and Covid was of course a big driver of change for many pubs and restaurants.
Fiona explained how the Lion was able to come out the other side of the pandemic a little more hopeful after it was able to maintain business. They offered takeaway Sunday lunches, pies, and picnics including quiches and scotch eggs all homemade on site.
While this is her first time owning a pub, the business runs through the family's blood. “My family have always been in pubs in North Wales. My father was born in a pub and my grandmother ran one until she was in her 60s, then went on to do bed and breakfasts,” she said.
Her parents used to run a cafe down at Temple Meads called the First Class Cafe and Fiona helped out with the food. “I think food has always been a big deal for me and I learnt to cook from my mum."
The Lion is known in the community for being a family business and her partner Kieran, her son David, daughter, Charity, her sister Andrea, and her mum and dad still help run it today.
The food remains at the core of The Lion. It changed from having a set menu to a weekly menu that varies depending on what produce they source, and Fiona said the customers enjoy the variety, including burgers, pasta, risotto and curries.
Their Sunday lunches, however, are a constant each week. “They’re quite popular, we wouldn’t want to mess with them too much,” she said. The kitchen offers a unique take on the traditional roast dinner, serving dauphinoise potatoes as an addition to roasties and a cauliflower cheese croquette among the more traditional trimmings.
Most of the food they serve is gluten-free and there are plenty of plant-based options on the menu too. Fiona is a vegetarian herself and keeps her menu free from preservatives as much as possible through proper homemade cooking on site.
“The bar is quite unusual, we always try to have a variation of lagers. At the moment, we’ve got Corona on tap, Pravaha and Tiger. We always have Orchard Pig as a cider as well as Thatchers Gold. We also freeze our pint glasses before serving.”
The Lion is also home to arguably one of the best, but most difficult pub quizzes in Bristol, hosted by longstanding quizmaster Darren Baker every Wednesday. With questions on science, music, film, geography and a brilliant picture round - Darren was at the pub even before Fiona and her family had taken over.
There’s almost a Germanic feel on the inside of the pub. Kieran installed what Fiona described as the “light bulb equivalent of bunting”, which makes it feel like Christmas all year round. The garden has also been refreshed by Kieran over the years to make a cosy outdoor area lit by twinkling lights.
While there may be some difficult times ahead for pubs across the country, Fiona added she was so grateful to her family, the regulars and community of Cliftonwood who have been a crucial part of the pub for well over a decade.
Find The Lion at 19 Church Lane, Cliftonwood, Bristol.
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