The Swan.

ChrisLewis

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks forumites for all of your support over the last 17 years, we’ve always valued your feedback and on many occasions reacted to it! Hopefully improving & sustaining our business whilst others have come and gone during this time. Stafford has been good to us and we hope over the years we have through both charitable and interaction within the town we have given something back. Our staff have been loyal with only a handful of key staff over that time, a great relationship with Stafford College which resulted in the formal link between The Lewis Partnership with both the college & The Savoy Educattional Guild, our legacy being some great staff throughout Staffordshire.

Many rumours will undoubtedly now circulated, but I can confirm one - I didn’t buy the yacht

See you out in the country - don’t forget to use our Lewis Partnership Rewards app!!

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Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
I can't see what Coaching Inns group can do that will make the Swan more successful.

To trade successfully for 17 years (especially the last five which has seen the town centre drop to an all time low), the Lewis Partnership deserve praise indeed.
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
They don't need to make it more successful do they? Just carry on running it well. I see Swan Live is back.
 

joshua

Well-Known Forumite
There's a lot more competion in the town now food wise and I wonder how much the nearby waterfront build has caused the LP withdrawl
 

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
There's a lot more competion in the town now food wise and I wonder how much the nearby waterfront build has caused the LP withdrawl
I wonder this too - last time we were in for cocktails on a Friday night it was very quiet indeed (and we'd come from quite a rowdy Revoultion)
 

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
Probably a bit too pricey for the average stafford folk, when there's cheaper options all around.

Or doesn't bring enough younger people in, (as much as the older folk like that) but they bring the most money in on the weekend.
 

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
There's a lot more competion in the town now food wise and I wonder how much the nearby waterfront build has caused the LP withdrawl

Please cast your mind back a couple of years. The experts at Stafford Borough council rubbished any idea that the gold plated waterfront development would purely shift trade from the established shopping areas. Au contraire, Rodney they said, the benefits of the waterfront will be felt far and wide. Areas such as Mill Street and beyond will be revitalised with the coach loads of new customers.

Tell that to The Bear, Pastiche, Off The Hook, Apothecary etc.
 

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
I wonder this too - last time we were in for cocktails on a Friday night it was very quiet indeed (and we'd come from quite a rowdy Revoultion)

Yes, correct. Front and back bars used to be pretty packed on Fridays and Saturdays nights but certainly not recently.
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
That’s a trend throughout the town though, customers numbers have dropped at every venue, partly to losing the university.

That is not quite true as in recent months places like No 5 and Slaters have had more folk in the swan and have been heaving. Plus places like revs are not that new and have been open more than 2 years

This is odd as the swan offer and feel is different to anywhere else in the town centre, great garden, great restaurant, service, rooms and a more ambient feel.

But the moaning and complaints from people over the last year standards have slipped hugely. Poor gin night, complaints against door staff, people moaning in restaurant you only have to look at a number of the recent online reviews.
People are turned off very quickly if paying good money for sub standard. Not sure if this is to do with the running of the place or because of the pending sale/ change in avenue by LP. Time will tell and country inns have a good rep

People who have bought vouchers for the swan/ LP seem a bit annoyed they don't look like can be used there now. They should be refunded by LP if the persons do not want to go out of town to use.

However it should be remembered what the swan was like before LP took it on, a total dive.

It is has built a standard that really put the town centre on the map over the years. Hopefully country inns continue to do that.

I also suggest country inns do an announcement or open night, of sorts as the amount of brain deads on social media who think it is closed is scary, even though nothing in the headline nor content suggests so.

Cartoon Kings back at the swan mid July though so that is good news :)
 
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