By Mal Butler
The new leaseholder of the Wheatsheaf Inn, Yarmouth, said he wanted to take on the pub because: “My heart and home is in this town.”
Welsh-born Adrian Evans, 42, has been in the hospitality industry since he was 15, and first moved to the town in 2002.
He said: “My first job here was just working during the summer at The George Hotel, and I stayed there for 10 years, starting as a waiter and ending up as deputy general manager.”
After that he had a variety of jobs in the town working at The Wheatsheaf and King’s Head, and with Robert Thompson at the Hambrough, Ventnor, as well as the Michelin-starred chef’s restaurant in Newport.
He returned to the Wheatsheaf as manager just after Covid restrictions were lifted, working with Mark McDonald whose five-year lease has come to an end.
Adrian, who is also a crew member of Yarmouth RNLI, added: “When the tenancy was up, I thought about what I was going to do, but my heart and home is in Yarmouth and it made sense to move from management to ownership.”
As for changes? He added: “It’s not really broken, so there’s not much to fix. I might make a few tweaks because I know what works.”
Isle of Wight Observer