Jeremy Clarkson has candidly shared his tribulations of trying to turn a profit over the festive period.
The 64 year old TV personality, renowned for ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ on Amazon Prime, highlighting the grittiness of farming life, has recently taken on the hospitality game as a publican, reports the Mirror.
Taking over the reins at the Farmer’s Dog pub in Oxfordshire, it seems serving up beverages is tougher than anticipated. Discussing the recent foray into bartending, Jeremy let slip that “Behind the scenes, then, everything is a total disaster.”
Since its opening back in August, Clarkson’s establishment has courted controversy among locals due to his choice of Christmas fare and policy enforcing a strict one-hour dining limit.
While tackling the financial burdens associated with running a pub, the celebrated presenter confessed that his initial optimism proved naive, confessing he had believed “it would all be fine,” only to realise “I was wrong.”
The TV presenter penned a piece for The Times, revealing the “horror” scenarios encountered in his tavern’s lavatories. He conveyed: “No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog. It was everywhere and in such vast quantities that no ordinary plumbing or cleaning equipment would even scratch the surface.
“So a whole team of chemically trained hazmat engineers had to be employed. That’s a cost I’d never factored into any of my business plans.”
He proceeded to divulge that glassware had been vanishing from his gastro pub, further adding to his costs.
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Clarkson outlined: “That cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back.”
He expressed frustration with the financial aspect of running his farm and pub, stating: “It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.”
Yet, ending his article on an upbeat note, Jeremy disclosed that famed chef Marco Pierre White had stopped by the alehouse and praised the menu’s variety.
He further commented: “And it’s warm and there’s a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. It’s a proper, traditional pub. By which I mean you’ll love it, and I’ll lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it.”
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