And in the beginning
Troubled times had hit the Atkinson household, I had recently been duped into leaving my dream job to work for a tyrant, and my mental health was at an all-time low. Discombobulated by my idiotic mistake I contacted my previous area manager as well as my old mentor and friend Rob. Together they assisted me back to my feet, and ultimately helped me regain my love for the industry. Although the position at The Farmhouse was a step down its was great to be working with Rob again, furthermore it gave me the opportunity to rebuild my confidence and spend more time with my wonderful Fiancé and magnificent son.
Rob had just been named Revere countries GM of the year, the after party loomed and the gloating was only just beginning, but before we could let our hair down and spend the whole years alcohol budget in one night Rob needed a chat. “I’ve got The Maynard would you be my GM?” excited and slightly nervous I accepted and went straight to the bar “5 Jager Bombs Please”
Although it was October and the lease didn’t start until January the work was underway. What started off as a “lets open and then re-invest” quickly turned into a “Steve, I’m putting in a new bar, new look restaurant and 2 extra bedrooms” Easy…
Building the team
The recruitment process had already started, Adrian, Josh, Bradley and Arron (Farmhouse employees) were all up to the task and made the hours trip across Derbyshire. Needless to say we were very unpopular for what at face value seemed like poaching, the reality was everyone believed in Robs vision and fully understood the potential The Maynard offered. Though it was a tough notice period it never really dampened our spirits because we were living the dream and knew we were on the precipice of greatness. Right! We’ve got the GM, head chef, an assistant manager, sous chef and a bar supervisor, the perfect start but we knew the final piece of the puzzle was a wedding and events manager that had charisma, passion and shared our values. Fate or blind luck? The advertisement went live at the same time Soraya and her family were looking to relocate from London to Sheffield. Early December myself and Rob invited Soraya for an interview, after 3 questions we shared a look, it was in that moment knew we’d found someone that not only exceeded our expectations, but more importantly we knew she would exceed our guest’s expectations. Wedding and events manager- Check.
Building the team was a long and arduous process, being January and coupled with the fact The Maynard had been closed for 3 months it was dank, uninviting, and quite scary, but the charm and character of the building did and always will provoke a sense of motivation, inspiration and enthusiasm which to me very few venues can be considered comparable. The criteria were simple, I was looking for people who were presentable, passionate about service and understood how to deal with volume, but still manage to provide the quintessential touches that are now indicative of The New Look Maynard.
Josh
The Waistcoat Warrior
Josh doesn’t compromise, he goes all out in everything he does, nothing epitomises this more than his Coffee. (make us another Joshy lad) His age doesn’t reflect his ability to drive the team towards excellence, his persona and gravitas projects from him like a blinding light.
Abi
The Late Arrival
Gracefully loud, unbelievably kind-hearted, Funny, easily confused and all-round nice person. Abi couldn’t attend her initial interview as she was admitted into hospital, but as soon as she was fit and ready, she was straight on the phone and in the building that same day. All smiles and oozing passion and personality I could see she was perfect for us.
Arron
The Cellar Master
Arron is one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met, he is a complete work horse and has a never say never attitude. Always smiling and always polite, Arron goes the extra mile where ever possible and pulls a great pint!
Over the coming Months/years our team will be ever evolving and improving as we move towards and achieve various targets and goals. As the Business grows so will the team, so if you possess any of the attributes listed above, get in touch and lets reach greatness together.