Wolverhampton pub thriving thanks to £250k refurbishment, 'Instagrammable' look and cocktail trees

The Mount Tavern in Wolverhampton recently completed a £250,000 refurbishment and is now thriving on the newly fitted modern, yet classic interior, and it has become a popular destination for customers all around.

After closing for up to nine weeks to undergo a major revamp, the pub on Penn Road is now a more premium establishment according to its owner, with the new look and new menus proving to be a hit.

The business has made a move to become a more classy establishment to visit, something that owner Russell Morton feels has really worked.

Russell, 41, who previously worked in IT and communications, spoke about the major work that needed to be done after the building looked 'tired'.

He said: "We have just completed a big investment putting around £250,000 into it, to get it to the standard that it is now.

"We’ve gone a lot more premium with it, introducing fresh cocktails on a Friday and Saturday night. We’ve got all the sports with Sky, BT and Amazon.

"We took the old shell of the building, which we found that it was a bit tired and needed updating, and wanted it to be a little bit different to everywhere else, so we’ve gone premium with it, and made it a lot more classier.

"There is a bit more of a modern look but with a classical twist to it too, with an industrial black theme and quirky floor tiles, which set it all off.

"There has been an extension built with two new toilet blocks - the function room can have up 35-40 people.

"Basically what we are trying to promote, is making it a great, classy night out and the decor goes exactly with that. We spent a bit more more to get it exactly where we needed to be but the proof is in the pudding.

"Because the clientele that are coming in now is lovely, class, chilled and it is a nice environment for people to enjoy.

"It took a lot of planning and took a little more time than we thought, and we encountered a few issues which we had to over come but you can see from the finished article that it is looking great."

Pubs and businesses alike have been going through a tough period in recent times, firstly with the pandemic, now the energy crisis, but also the fact that the experience that customers want nowadays has changed. As well as wanting to enjoy good food and drink, they also want the place to look good. The team is even making the sure the environment is 'Instagrammable' - which is making sure it is appealing to the eye and is suitable to being photographed.

Pubs and bars are catering to the younger Instagram-type generation with trendy looks and quirky cocktails, and Russell said his business also is doing the same, especially by serving cocktails. These include 'cocktail trees' where a 'tree' is made up of around a dozen cocktails making up the shape of the tree. While all this adds to the aspect of being 'Instagrammable', it appears to be successful in a business-sense too.

Russell added: "We have noticed that there is an up-lift in the drinks that people are buying nowadays.

"They want the premium spirits such as Ciroc, Belvedere, Grey Goose, and a big thing is cocktails.

"So we stock all the premium spirits and on a Friday and Saturday night, we have a mixologist come in where we serve 10-12 different cocktails and we even serve these cocktail trees, where there is a tree of like Pornstar Martinis, and they are so popular, they're flying out!

"We invested greatly in this, but we wanted to do it right, and so the mixologist makes everything with fresh ingredients rather than packed mixed syrups.

"It has all been about going premium, and we have done this on the beers we serve too.

"Plus we are big on cask ales, and serve around six hand pulls of cask ales.

"It is very much the trend now, serving cocktails and it fits in well with the direction that the business has gone now.

"We have door staff in on Friday and Saturday nights because we wanted to be able to enhance the dress code, stopping tracksuits, hoodies, shorts etc. and it has worked because it has brought in a different level clientele into the business - it has really worked because we get a lot of females coming in now who enjoy the cocktails and wine menu.

"We didn't bring in door staff because of any issue with the pub itself, but it is all part of enhancing the experience for everyone and making it a great night out."

Making pub going more of a night out and better experience is one of many challenges that business owners face, but Russell, along with the manager, Melissa, have successfully made the Mount Tavern a fantastic place to visit.

The decor is stunning, and currently beautifully themed with Christmas trees, decorations and even frosting designs in the windows, all which contribute to making the experience at the Mount Tavern, a pleasant, class one, and one that will make people want to go back.

A new food menu has been launched since the refurbishment too, with a different menu to the traditional pub as they serve Mexican food along with a few traditional favourites.

Speaking about this, Russell added: "We have gone down the route of being a little bit different to everyone else.

"Most pubs seem to be doing the mixed grills and traditional foods but we have tried to steer clear of that by doing a Mexican theme still with some classics.

"Like we have fresh stone baked pizzas, fish and chicken tacos, smash burgers - it is a very mixed theme of foods but away from the traditional pubs and it caters to a lot of different pallets.

"The food has definitely taken off since launching. We weren’t previously known for our food where as now we’re starting to get a good reputation for it.

"It takes a little bit longer to get out but it’s all made fresh. So we may not be the quickest but the food will certainly come out tasting good."

The success and popularity of the Mount Tavern has helped the business get through the tough period of Covid and now the energy crisis, but Russell has also invested in energy saving technology, all of which contribute to monthly savings.

He said: "In regard to energy, it is ok at the minute. We spent a lot of money investing into energy saving technology.

"There is going to be a new solar array installed soon which will help, and we also have something new called voltage optimisation, which is a new piece of equipment that reduced bills and it can save between 12-18% a month guaranteed. It levels the voltage and streamlines everything."

Russell himself decided to get into the hospitality industry and wanting a career change from IT and communications, and has run the Mount Tavern for 10 years now, where along with a great team of staff and manageress, they have the pub a great place to visit.

Speaking about the experience of running a pub, building relationships with customers and having great staff, Russell added: "It is a lovely business to be in and if you get it right, it is rewarding.

"And with the good staff and the manageress Melissa, who had no experience in the beginning but has worked incredibly hard and is spearheading in driving it forward - a lot of the ideas were hers and she is driving the business forward.

"It's all about making it a pleasant experience, and we have a good social media presence which all helps that, along with making everything look good.

"The pub has fantastic support from the community. There is a wide community support network, with a good bank of regulars.

"They’re such nice people, salt of the earth. They’re here through thick and thin - they do support us and we have a nice loyal base.

"And recently we’ve been able to even attract a lot more from the wider region too - it’s becoming more of a destination place because of the things that we are doing."