An Enterprise Inns lessee has taken on her second site after agreeing to work with Punch Taverns to turn around an underperforming Sussex pub.
Zoe Rogers, who has run the George Payne in Hove since 2012, will operate the Whistlestop at Portslade train station as it stands until 1 January. It will then be closed for “a couple of months” for a full refurbishment before opening again under its historic name of the Railway Inn.
Rogers, who won Best Turnaround in the 2013 Great British Pub Awards, said: “I felt that I had got the George Payne to where I wanted it to be and now was the time to move on to a fresh challenge.
“I approached Punch about the Whistlestop because I fell in love with it in exactly the same way as the George Payne.
“There is so much potential there – there is a big kitchen that is under-used and the customer base is already there for a good pub selling decent food.
“There is also a big function room and with the location next to the train station and not many neighbours it is a perfect location for live music and comedy.”
