By Harry Mottram: As one person said to me last night, ‘if anyone can make a success of the Oakhouse, it’s Marina and David.’ That is no empty statement as the couple are well known in the town for their hard work – in the hospitality industry in the cafe and hotel and also around Axbridge in property maintenance for householders.
I popped in last night enroute to the Town Hall to see the play Gaslight, and was impressed by the amount of people in the Oakhouse. In all the years I’ve lived in the town I’ve never seen the place so busy – so full marks to Marina and David – hospitality is a notoriously difficult business to make a success of due to the vagaries of fashion, people and the economy. I spoke to one patron who had part of the reason why it was full of happy Friday night drinkers: the prices. He said that a certain establishment ‘across the square’ were ‘taking the… with their prices,’ – I’ll leave it to readers to fill in the blank as to what he meant – but in a Cost of Living Crisis people still want to have the occasional night out and the cost can be a turn off.
Since its opening night on Saturday 16th March 2024, it has been the place to go for a drink or a meal – in fact the three weeks since it reopened the bar has been buzzing – with a mixture of the novelty of it being open after months of closure and that other thing pubs are known for: atmosphere. That is largely in part due to the warm personalities of Marina Czyzew and David Rogers but also to the town’s residents wishing them well. In the words of the owners of the hotel when negotiations were underway for the new leaseholders: ‘Use it or lose it.’
Previously the establishment had been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – now it’s making the news for all the right reasons – and that’s all down to hard work by the couple. On her FaceBook page Marina showed a photo of her Prosecco Watch which read: ‘According to your activity, you have earned 4 glasses of wine.’ Which sums up her enterprise.
For more details of opening hours, food and much more the Oakhouse has a Facebook page with notes on special offers at https://www.facebook.com/TheOakhouseAxbridge
And a new website at https://www.theoakhouseaxbridge.com
Address: The Square, Axbridge, Somerset BS26 2AP
Tel: 01934 752 125
Email: info@theoakhouseaxbridge.com
Axbridge News is edited by Harry Mottram and is published for the interest of himself and fellow residents.
Harry is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube etc
Email:harryfmottram@gmail.com
Website:www.harrymottram.co.uk