EACH week we love to shine the spotlight on local venues where we can socialise with family and friends in East Lancashire.
This time we have headed to Rawtenstall to find out a place that has a 'roaring' trade.
Name of the pub
The Tiger Lounge Rawtenstall
Address of the pub:
12 Bury Road, Rawtenstall
Landlord/landlady name:
Mike Hampson
How long have you been the landlord/landlady for?
4 years
Bar staff and their names:
Luke, Sadie, Alex, Angela, Daniel, Leanne, Joe, Josh, Maddy, Rosie , Millie, and Kate.
Give us some history about the pub
We began in the hospitality industry five years ago with our very first branch of The Tiger Lounge in Oswaldtwistle. A year later, we saw an amazing opportunity to expand into Rawtenstall. We refurbished The Mexx Cantina, into a bustling cocktail bar bringing the city vibe into the Rossendale valley. We were overwhelmed with the amazing reaction from the community. Since then, we've gone form strength to strength growing the business across two further sites in Accrington and Clitheroe. We have changed many things throughout the years, including the addition of cocktail trees and an improved Asian-inspired food menu. We are so proud of the business we have built, working alongside dozens of thriving businesses in a small community.
Is food served? Is so what's on the menu?
Our food is now asian inspired. We branched out into asian inspired dishes alongside our burgers and classic small plates after our refurbishment in March. It's been a huge success and the feedback we get on our dishes are amazing!
Is there a beer garden
Being in a town centre location, we do not have a beer garden. However, we do have a few limited tables outside in the sun!
Most popular drink served is:
Pornstar Martini is our best seller, but all of our signature cocktails are very popular. Our new cocktail menu launching this weekend features some amazing hand crafted cocktails, like the duck in a tub and the wham bam tiger slam.
Most memorable moment at the pub
I have dozens of memorable moments, but my most recent one is definitely last weekend when I opened a bottle of champagne and it sprayed all over the entire restaurant.
Do you have an entertainment line-up?
We do themed bottomless brunches every month, our line up for the rest of the year include mamma mia, power ballads and a day at the races.
Have you faced any challenges within the industry
The rising costs for a small business has been a huge challenge for us. We have made many tough decisions, like shortening our opening hours to Thursday - Sunday. We have worked hard to ensure that these rising costs dont affect our customers very much. To combat this challenge, we have managed to run some amazing offers like our Burger Thursdays which include all burgers on the menu, with fries for just £6.95 every week.
The best thing about running a pub is
The people. I have made so many amazing friends over the years. The staff team are absolutely amazing, you spend an awful lot of time with these people and ensuring you have a team that support each other and treat each other as friends, not colleagues, is vital. Alongside this, the customers can become friends very quickly. Without your customers, you have no business. Our regular customers are a core part of our business, they bring a friendly feel to the venue and seeing your regular faces week after week can really make your job amazing.
The worst thing about running a pub is..
Missing out on the party! We see the amazing atmosphere thriving week after week and sometime you do wish you was on the other-side of the bar partying with the rest of the crowd. However its important to remember, without people working in the bar, there would be no party!
The perfect hangover cure is...
The Salt and Pepper Clucker Burger
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