The Desi pub owned by the same family for 45 years that's popular with football fans

Bharat Patel runs it with his sister Hema Masaun, as the two took over from their parents who became owners of The Vine in 1978.

The story began as Suresh Patel, known as Suki, came over to England from Kenya in the late 1950s. He then got married to Bhanu Patel in the 70s, and the two took ownership of the establishment on 152 Roebuck Street in 1978.

Since then, the family have run the pub, and as the parents have now taken a step back, Bharat and Hema deal with the day-to-day running.

Speaking about this, Bharat says: "I think my dad was one of the very first people that started off the Desi pub in the Black Country.

"I now run it alongside my sister, and I've been here since 2001, Hema joined a few years after me.

"We chose to keep it within the family, and it is what sums up the whole place, there is a family-feel to the whole establishment, including the staff, of which we have around 37, and some members have been with us for 25 years.

"We all work so well together here, there's no fighting between myself and Hema.

"As I mentioned, some of our staff have been here for a while. One lady has been here for 27 years, and another 35 years!

"Our chefs have been with us since around 2005, there is a great sense of loyalty here, and it is a big great family, a truly great story."

The Vine is one of an array of Desi pubs in the Black Country. The Black Country is the heart of where Desi pubs reside in the whole of the UK.

Like all the other Desi pubs, The Vine is not just wet-led, but they serve a vast range of Indian food, including curries, mixed-grills, barbecues and so much more.

There is a huge trend of Desi pubs across the Black Country, where pubs that were maybe once struggling or just simply had a transformation and change with the times, now serve top quality Indian food, including the ever famous 'Mix Grill', which arrives to your table sizzling on a platter, with a range of items including tandoori fish, lamb chops, chicken tikka - the options are endless and mouthwatering.

Bharat added: "We were one of the first ones to do the Desi pub.

"It was around the early 80s that we started cooking food. My dad and his friends would cook, but for themselves, and then customers would then start asking for it, it then developed to a larger scale they began to sell it - and now today, we have the massive trend of mixed-grills and curries.

"The Desi pub is more of a restaurant style, with different variations of items and sizes of dishes.

"We have become really popular for our barbecue, and especially on match days, because we are really popular with the football fans that come to the West Brom games.

"We have a nice garden terrace area that is really popular with the fans, and with our customers."

The Vine is a hit with West Bromwich Albion fans, and also is a popular destination with visiting supporters.

Bharat says some of the comments they get from away fans is that they wish they had a Desi pub like The Vine near them.

He adds: "We get a lot of West Brom fans here along with the away fans but there is no animosity, it is a nice, friendly vibe with a great atmosphere before and after the games.

"The fans love the barbecues that we do here, and sometimes we get around 1,000 people here on a matchday, so it is really busy.

"We have just completed a big refurbishment here too, where we gutted the whole wedding.

"There are new furnishings, walls, flooring, furniture, it has been an extensive amount of work.

"It's all about keeping up with the times, keeping it fresh and making sure it is an environment that people enjoy when they come spend their money here.

"We like to provide good quality food and drinks, with a wide-range of spirits, wines and soft drinks.

"Again going back to our family-feel and ethos at the pub, we have used the same meat supplier for around 25 years, as we like to maintain our relationship with people, and it is the same with our customers."

As the family have owned the pub for over 45 years, they have built a fantastic relationship with the locals and regulars, as they have even seen people grow up, their children and now their grandchildren.

Bharat says: "All of the customers and regulars know us. We have built a fantastic relationship, there is a nice community feel.

"We have seen people grow up, seen their kids who now have kids. Some of the customers have been coming here since I was two or three years old.

"There is a good, loyal customer base, where they have got to know us, and we have got to know them - they know what they get here.

"We are one big family here with our staff, customers and everyone that visits - that is why we have such a good reputation."

Pubs have gone through a testing period in recent years, first due to the Covid pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, which has seen pubs across the Black Country and the country, face closures.

Bharat explains that The Vine was no exception to facing a challenging time, but they are thankfully back to pre-Covid levels.

"Touch wood, we are okay now. It took a while to get back to normal after Covid," he says.

"It was tough as first we had to outdoor only and then it was indoors with restrictions and limited numbers, but now thankfully, we are back to normal.

"It has gone back to pre-Covid levels. We are really lucky to be here, and it is great to see other pubs that are still here too.

"My dad knows all the other owners and publicans, it is a nice little community that share ideas and help each other.

"It is a nice community feel rather than any rivals or nastiness. We are all happy with our customer base, and there are no hard feelings or animosity with one another, it is pure respect."