Mad O'Rourke's pledge by former owner

The former owner of the Mad O'Rourke's pub chain today pledged to find a way to keep the brand as a part of the Black Country.

Pete Towler was made redundant with Tipton branch general manager and head chef Dawn Pitts as the pub and parent firm Mad O'Rourke's Ltd, went into administration on Friday.

Mr Towler, aged 50, of Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, said he was letting administrators use the Mad O'Rourke's name "for the time being", until he can find a way forward.

He said: "Obviously this has been a very upsetting and unsettling time, not just for us but for everyone involved."

Spokesman for administrators PKF, Richard Tonks, confirmed that while they have taken over running Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Tipton, Mr Towler still owns the brand name and would be free to use it in future.

Mr Towler said: "We are in the fortunate position of owning the brand names for Mad O'Rourke's and will do our utmost to keep it part of the Black Country."

Wordsley and Gornal branches were given back to Marston's Brewery and reopened under new management at the start of the month.

Mr Towler blamed the recession, and said the strain of trying to save the other pubs drove the Tipton branch into administration.

"We tried very hard indeed to avoid the closures and poured in huge amounts of our financial resources to stave off what eventually became the inevitable," he said.

"Unfortunately due to this drain we are having to place Mad O'Rourke's in Tipton into the hands of the adminstrator." The subsidiary Mad O'Rourkes firm involved in running the Wordsley and Gornal branches was placed in the hands of receivers Begbies Traynor at the end of June.

Ex-head chef at the Gornal branch Ian Butts, 57, has taken over the pub in Himley Road, Lower Gornal, under the name "The Steak and Pie Factory", while the branch in Camp Hill, Wordsley, is back to its original name the "The Vine" under Irish pub owner Liam O'Connell.

Mrs Pitts got the nickname "Desperate Dawn" because of the pub's renowned Desperate Dan cow pies. The 4lb steak and kidney pies became the pub's speciality and has been the most popular dish on the menu.

The Tipton branch hosted performances by famous names including Frank Skinner and Victoria Wood in the 1980s. Originally The Doughty Arms, it was bought by Mad O'Rourke's in 1987.