Efforts in funding and setting up an improved outdoor seating marquee at The Three Crowns have been paying off as the pub is booming.

While the pub already had outdoor seating in place before the pandemic, the owners of The Three Crowns in Bushey Heath decided to enhance the setting considering that pubs can only remain open through outdoor service under the current Covid restrictions.

And in the run up to the reopening date on April 12, it became clear that the coronavirus restart grant – that is mean to help businesses get back on their feet- was not going to arrive in time.

In fact Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said many local councils have left businesses uncertain of when or if they would receive any money.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has also written to the leaders of 314 councils in England asking them to pay applicants by July 31.

While the pub is still left in the dark, former owner Michael Duffy spoke on behalf of current t landlady Kat Duffy about the struggle in making an appealing outdoor area.

He said that to try seat as many customers without having to spend too much of their own funds – considering they had not received the restart grant – the pub extended the outdoor area by clearing out the old stables at the back.

The community came together to support The Three Crowns

The community came together to support The Three Crowns

There was also an appeal for wooden pallets and unwanted garden furniture, which led to the community and regulars coming together to put together and paint bench seats, tables and wooden seats atop old beer barrels.

The result is a freshly laid pub garden with artificial grass under a marquee.

The community also helped to produce two giant home planters – which Mr Duffy believes would normally cost back £200 apiece.

Local breweries also helped to replace outdated stock before reopening, with the option to pay for it all a month later.

Mike Duffy pictured in 2013 at The Three Crowns

Mike Duffy pictured in 2013 at The Three Crowns

Mr Duffy said: “Meanwhile bookings were pouring in for opening day and our investment in an online system to manage these paid off especially as the same system operated the track and trace system introduced last year.”

But prior to the reopening day, last minute glitches and issued with the credit card terminals caused unneeded stress – as the current landlady feared this would block transactions.

Eventually this was all resolved and the first day went without a hitch.

Mr Duffy said: “The sun shone, and we started the day with 209 customers booked and the whole day was like one big Christmas Eve, without the funny jumpers, rolled into New Year`s Eve, without handshakes and kisses at midnight, as customers, friends and regulars met up and enjoyed a beer and each others company in the Spring sunshine. Many had booked the day off work just to be with us.”

While upset from the delayed grant support from the council, The Three Crowns had around 100 food orders that day, and overall the day was declared the busiest since Bank Holiday Monday last August – which was also the final day of the ‘Eat out to Help Out’ scheme.

The former pub landlord said that business continues to be very busy since reopening, and things continue to look up – but he questions how long the boom of customers eager to return to pubs will last.