Royal Oak in Mellor fit ‘for a king’

The Royal Oak in Mellor is fit for a king thanks to a substantial investment from Robinsons Brewery and licensees Steph Marshall and her partner James Massey.

Steph, 23, had worked in the hospitality trade for five years before deciding to take on the Robinsons pub. Despite being one of Robinsons’ youngest licensees, Steph brought with her a wealth of experience having worked in restaurants, pubs and bars.

“Owning our own pub was the next logical step and with The Royal Oak, it was love at first sight” explained Steph. “It was everything we wanted – a real community pub with a family friendly feel and the opportunity to work for ourselves.”

Robinsons approached Steph and James late last year with plans to modernise the pub whilst keeping the character and feel that has helped the Royal Oak remain such a prominent community hotspot for many years. 

Steph said: “The Royal Oak really has a charm and atmosphere that you feel when you walk through the door so it was really important that we brought the pub up to speed whilst making sure the changes wouldn’t ruin what made the pub so appealing to ourselves and our regulars in the first place.”

Working around the clock, Robinsons’ property and design team worked hand-in-hand with Steph and James to transform the Royal Oak over a four-week period.

Royal Oak in Mellor new look bar area

Internally, the pub’s corner bar now has prominence as you enter the pub, proudly displaying the Royal Oak’s world spirits and award-winning wines alongside their extensive cask and draught beer range. Roaring fires provide the perfect cosy corners to enjoy a quiet pint whilst large televisions are primed and ready to show the ups and downs of this sporting season.

The Royal Oak’s new food menu, which is served Thursday to Sunday, focuses on simple but loved pub comfort classics such as the Royal Oak’s signature steak burger.

Steph said: “Robinsons have been a pleasure to work with during the whole process. They’ve really listened to our customer’s feedback and created something that we all love. Our regulars are over the moon with the change and we couldn’t be prouder of the final result.”

Alan Chapman, Business Development Manager for Robinsons Brewery said: “Steph and James have been fantastic to work and it’s great to see someone so young, with great entrepreneurial spirit, taking the next step in our industry. The end result is something that everyone in Mellor can be proud of. We believe we have set the Royal Oak up for success for many years to come and we can’t think of two better publicans to be at the helm.”

The Royal Oak Mellor is open now serving food and a rotating range of Robinsons cask ales alongside craft beers, premium lagers, spirits and award-winning wines.

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