THE outgoing landlord of an award-winning Abergele pub hailed a memorable final weekend of business prior to its closure.
The George & Dragon, on Market Street, shut its doors on Monday (January 30) after landlord Lee Murphy decided not to renew its contract with brewery Star Pubs & Bars.
Lee, who owned the pub for nearly 11 years, was pleased to at least go out on a high, with business booming as old faces returned to wish them well.
He said: “It was a really nice send-off. All of the old faces, who we hadn’t seen for a while since lockdown, came back in to say their goodbyes.
“My daughters were going around thanking people for coming in the pub; it was quite emotional, and heart-warming to receive all of those nice comments.
“One of the customers did a speech, which had everybody in tears. Then, I rang last orders for the last time and did a little speech, as well.
“I have mixed emotions, because the pub hasn’t been doing as well as it was for a while now, but I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s all I know.
“I did quizzes on a Tuesday night, always with the same customers, and if someone sat on another’s table, God, there’d be hell to pay. I’m going to miss doing them.”
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Lee said last week that the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, coupled with the cost of living crisis, meant that making a profit was no longer viable.
Though, Lee harbours no ill will towards the brewery, and thanked all of his customers during his time in charge of The George & Dragon.
Star Pubs & Bars is already actively searching for a new landlord to reopen the pub.
A spokesperson for the brewery said: “We are keen to reopen the pub as quickly as possible and are recruiting for a new operator.
“Anyone interested in finding out more should call our recruitment team on 08085 949596.
“The utility bills will be funded by Star Pubs & Bars."
In 2019, The George & Dragon was named the best community pub in the Conwy district, and in 2017, won the gold prize for community pub at the Best Bar None awards.
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