Wolverhampton pub's new 'unorthodox' menu proves a hit with customers

The Three Cups pub in Wolverhampton has launched a new restaurant/takeaway within the premises serving up an array of tasty foods, and the early reviews are that it's a hit with customers loving the food on offer.

Jagdeep Takhar, known as Juggy, is Wolverhampton born and bred, and has known pubs since he was a child. Juggy has now owned the Three Cups on 87 Spring Road, Lanesfield, Wolverhampton, for eight years now.

Speaking about the business of owning a pub, Juggy, 36, says: "It's what I've known all my life, being in pubs.

"My dad has always been in the business of pubs since I was a child, and so it was something that I continued on.

"We previously owned a post office in Crewe, but the chance to own a pub in Wolverhampton was one I couldn't turn down.

"I run it now with family and staff, and we recently launched a separate kitchen side with Riju, who is the manager of the kitchen called 'Let's Ketchup'."

When owning or running a pub, it of course comes with the responsibility of giving a lot of hours to the business, which can have an affect on a social life and missing social occasions. Owners have often said that by running or owning a pub, you can only do it if you are truly committed to making these sacrifices, and do it because you love it.

This is something Juggy shares: "It is good owning a pub in a social sense of meeting people everyday, having a chat and getting to know people that often become regulars. But then there is the flip-side where there are a lot of unsociable hours, you can miss out on family events, social events because you have to be committed to your business.

"So it works both ways, it's nice in a social sense in getting to know people and building a relationship, but then also tough on personal social life. With owning a pub, it is seven days a week, all day, everyday, but you have to love doing this in order to do it."

Pubs and businesses across the hospitality industry have been hit severely by the cost of living and energy crisis, and the Three Cups is no exception, as Juggy explains: "We have a fixed contract with our energy supplier, but that ended recently.

"The six-month cap that has been introduced to help businesses out is OK for now but after that, we just do not know what is going to happen.

"It will put so many businesses under pressure, everyone is going to be affected in the hospitality sector.

"It's not just gas but the electric prices too, and what's even more severe about this current situation is that it's not just a little increase in the price of beer, it's every single thing in everyday life that has gone up.

"Yes everything in the business has gone up in terms of energy, drinks prices, but then even at home, food, drink, everything is going up and it is getting out of control."

Pubs are, of course, businesses and with their rising costs, they have to increase their prices, and Juggy says that it's something's he's reluctantly had to do.

"We had to increase beer prices slightly, because you obviously can't run at a loss. I don't want to do this but we have no choice," he explains.

"Business has remained steady, but after the Covid pandemic there has been a bit of difference.

"For example, there are some faces I haven't seen since before covid, and some that have continued coming.

"We are lucky because we have our regulars that come in, and the loyal customers because there is a community feel to it.

"We've all got to know each other, it is like one big family. But pubs have definitely changed since Covid.

"During lockdown people started creating their own bars at home, supermarket prices of drinks too, all these things have stopped some people going to pubs."

The Three Cups runs a regular bingo night on Saturdays, something that is a very popular evening for the locals, and Juggy says this will continue to run.

The kitchen side of the pub is run by Riju, he is the manager of the kitchen and has named the food business 'Let's Ketchup', and it has proved to be a big hit since starting in March.

Food is sold on a takeaway basis but customers can also eat in too, with a huge variety of items on the menu, from Mixed-grills (a booming item pubs across the Midlands are serving), pizzas, peri-peri chicken, curries, plus so much more.

With hundreds of reviews online, the Let's Ketchup kitchen has a five-star rating on Uber Eats, and a 5.7-out-of-6 rating on Just Eat - proving the popularity of the food on offer.

Riju, who moved to the UK from India in 2009, says it has always been his passion to launch a food business.

He says: "We established Let's Ketchup in March, and we have had a fantastic response since opening, thanks to our strong customer base.

"I came from India in 2009, worked my way up in McDonalds but always had an interest in cooking and the food business, and after working there for 12 years, I thought about following my passion and trying it out.

"That's when Juggy came into play, we met and established the kitchen and have been working together since.

"It's great becasue people love the food and keep coming back. Our menu is a little unorthodox compared to other pubs that serve food and I think that is what makes us stand out.

"We do takeaway, we're on the food delivery apps, and we have a separate dining room for around 15 people too for people to eat-in."

Speaking on the relationship between the two guys Juggy and Riju, agree: "It's good to work together, we have a good vibe and we're on the same wave length, and so it's a very good combination us two working together.

"We're always experimenting with the menu and hoping to add new items, and so watch this space, it will continue to develop."