Rush for jobs at new Pie Factory pub
More than 250 people have applied for 25 jobs on offer at the third pub in the Black Country being opened under the Mad O'Rourke trademark.
Derelict, boarded-up and abandoned pubs are becoming an all-too-common sight in the region. But while many are destined for the developers, Peter Towler is determined to make sure the Bull's Head in Lower Gornal doesn't bite the bar room dust.
Mr Towler now has a team on site transforming the empty pub in Himley Road into the third in the Black Country to bear the popular Mad O'Rourke's trademark name.
He hopes the pub will be serving customers his famous cow pies by mid-March and he is determined not to let the credit crunch stall his success.
"I love Gornal and I think it is a great place to drink," said Mr Towler, aged 49, who took over the Mad O'Rourke chain in 2000 having worked for company founder Colm O'Rourke for a number of years.
"Everyone knows it is a difficult time for the industry but I think we are surviving because people are looking for good, honest, value for money which is exactly what we offer."
The original Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory stands in Hurst Lane, Tipton, and just last year the company bought the former Vine pub in Camp Hill, Wordsley, and transformed it into a Pie Factory, which has flourished.
Its latest venture, costing in the region of £550,000, will create around 25 new jobs – and if successful, Mr Towler says he will be on the lookout for more pubs to take over.
"We have been absolutely delighted by the response in Wordsley – we are over the moon," said Mr Towler.
"Our aim is to offer simple, honest, home-cooked food at a fair price. I think people are moving away from expensive, fussy food so effectively they are down grading – but they're down grading to us which is fine by me."
The Bull's Head, which had stood empty for around six months before Mr Towler came along, is set over two floors with huge windows on both levels facing out onto Himley Road.
Once the transformation is complete, customers will enter the pub by a main door at the back of the building.
A number of internal walls have been knocked down to open out the available space and new staircases will be put in place.
The kitchen will also be found at ground level with the upstairs used as a dining space with table service.
Glass windows bearing the trademark Mad O'Rourke's cow pie logo are on order – as is a lifesize fibreglass bull.
The bull will stand on the pub roof to welcome punters through the door. It is a variation of the giant pigs found at the two existing Pie Factory pubs and has been chosen to mark the site's history as the Bull's Head.
"We are hoping to open in mid-March and we should be able to accommodate around 130 people," added Mr Towler.
"The response so far has been immense – we are advertising about 25 jobs and I must have sieved through at least 250 applications.
"If this venture is successful then we will be looking to open another one."
