08/10/2026
THINKING OF TAKING ON THE BELL IN BOTTISHAM? PLEASE READ THIS. 🍺
I've been sitting here today going through the actual costs of running The Bell, and I think it's only fair that anyone considering taking the pub on understands what they're potentially getting themselves into.
First of all, this isn't a post to put anyone off. I genuinely hope someone takes it on, makes a success of it and gives the village a fantastic pub for years to come.
But I also wouldn't want anyone walking into it without understanding the financial reality, because believe me, it's fu***ng brutal.
People see a pub taking £2,800 a week and think that's a decent business.
Well, let's break that down.
🍺 B**r, l***r, c***r, spirits and w**e: Our typical stock replenishment could cost around £2,580 a week, including VAT.
👩💼 Bar staff: Around £300 a week, and that was with just ONE member of staff working four evenings.
🏠 Rent, electricity, water, Sky, TNT, insurance, waste collection and other running costs: Around another £1,200 a week.
That's potentially £4,100 going out against £2,800 coming in.
Now, before someone jumps on here telling me the maths doesn't work, I know full well that stock doesn't all sell in the same week it's purchased. There was always stock left in the cellar, and VAT has to be accounted for. These are the cash-flow pressures we experienced, not a final accounting profit-and-loss statement.
But the problem was simple.
THE CASH FLOW WAS GETTING ABSOLUTELY FU***NG DESTROYED.
You could have a decent weekend, take a few thousand pounds, and then watch nearly all of it disappear when you needed to replenish the cellar.
And then you've still got the rent, staff, electricity and every other bloody bill to pay.
That's before you've paid yourself a penny.
And because it's a tied pub, you can't simply shop around and buy your draught b**r from whoever is cheapest.
We tried everything.
We invested in the garden, put on entertainment, showed the football, organised events, worked ridiculous hours and put our own money into keeping the place going.
We made mistakes along the way. I'm not pretending otherwise.
But we also put absolutely everything into that place, and ultimately it wasn't sustainable for us.
The more we struggled, the more money we had to find to keep things moving. Borrowing helped us survive another week, but then the repayments made the following weeks even harder.
It became a vicious circle.
SO, TO ANYONE THINKING OF TAKING ON THE BELL...
My door is genuinely open.
If you're seriously considering taking the tenancy, please feel free to contact me or Adam.
We will happily sit down with you and go through the running costs, the brewery prices, the stock requirements, the rent, the utilities and the reality of operating the business.
We'll tell you what worked, what didn't work, what we got wrong and what we'd do differently.
We have nothing to gain from misleading anyone.
I'm not saying someone else couldn't make it work. Maybe they can. Maybe with a different business model, different costs or different circumstances, somebody can make a real success of it.
And I genuinely hope they do.
But please don't take on a pub just because the rent looks affordable or because you think selling pints at £5-plus means you're making a fortune.
Look at the whole picture.
Look at your gross profit.
Look at the brewery tie.
Look at the stock you need to carry.
Look at the electricity, the staffing and all those little bills that add up to thousands.
And most importantly, make sure you've got enough working capital to survive the difficult weeks.
Because when the cash runs out, it doesn't matter how much you love the place or how hard you're prepared to work.
We learned that the hard way.
I'm not ashamed to say this business has cost us financially and personally. It's been fu***ng heartbreaking watching something we worked so hard for come to an end.
But I would rather be completely open about our experience than see another family put everything they've got into something without knowing the risks.
So if you're interested in taking on The Bell, message me. I'm more than happy to have an honest conversation and show you the figures.
No bu****it. No hidden agenda. Just the reality of what it cost us to run it.
And to everyone who supported us over the years, thank you. We genuinely did give it everything.
I hope the next people through those doors make it work. I really do. 🍺
