A well known Conwy Valley pub will reopen next month - four months after the owner of a small hospitality chain “stumbled across” it on a day trip to North Wales.
The historic Tal-y-Cafn - which underwent a £1m renovation four years ago - has been closed since November and was placed up for sale by EPM-UK run by Bill Edwards.
But this July, Mike Hales, boss of Imagine Inns in Lancashire, passed the pub on a day out to the area.
It immediately sparked his interest and this month a deal was done with Mr Edwards.
The pub will reopen on November 13 with a team of 25 full and part time staff.
Mike said: “I have been successfully turning around community pubs for more than 25 years, it is my passion.
“I stumbled across this place by pure accident when we were visiting Conwy. I saw the for sale sign, I took a picture and the rest is history.”
The pub has opened and then closed again a number of times in recent years but Mike is confident they can make it a success.
He added: “We specialise in bringing community pubs back to live, and with everything we have done we have succeeded.
“We have a really creative team here and we will start with getting it right for the community rather than focusing on tourists.
“The model used here has not been quite right but we intend to bring that real pub back, somewhere everyone feels welcome, families, people walking the dog.
“We strive to always offer a decent meal and pint and bring our own creative touches. We focus on getting the food and the service right.
“Here we have recruited local staff and will use local produce, we have also made sure we have used the Welsh and English language because we know how important this is.”
In some ways the timing could not be more challenging - with Wales currently in a firebreak lockdown with hospitality closed.
Mike added: “Some think I’m mad but if we can nail it now it sets us up well for the future.
“We had planned to open a week earlier but were held up by the firebreak, we now can’t wait to get open and get the place ticking over.”
Mr Edwards said he was pleased his family would leave this lasting legacy in the Conwy Valley after saving the pub back in 2016 and investing more than £1m into the site.
