From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Jack Dyson, 19 April 2020.

Coronavirus Kent:

Landlord of "Old City Bar," "Black Griffin," "Seven Stars," "Dolphin" and "Thomas Becket" in Canterbury racks up £115k debt amid pandemic

A city pub magnate has described his finances as “critical” after already racking up £115,000 of debt since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Businessman Charles Smythe is faced with the hefty bill after being left unable to pay rent or invoices from big suppliers while his five Canterbury bars are closed.

Charles Smythe says his outstanding bills already total £115,000.

And the 50-year-old - who runs the "Old City Bar," "Black Griffin," "Seven Stars," "Dolphin" and "Thomas Becket" - believes his outstanding payments could rise above £200,000 in the next two months.

Despite this, the tavern tycoon insists he will not close any of his watering holes.

“I won’t get rid of my pubs,” he maintained. “Cash flow is pretty critical.

“My outstanding debt at the moment is £115,000 - and that’s going up each week.

“I’ve paid off my little suppliers - like my cleaners and butchers.

“But with the big companies - like the breweries and major suppliers - I’m saying to them, ‘you’re not getting any money until I get some in’.”

Brewery Shepherd Neame, which owns the "Old City Bar," has suspended rent for its licensees during the Covid-19 crisis.

But Mr Smythe says the landlords of his four other pubs want him to pay all outstanding rent in full once he is able to restart trading.

“Lots of them have not cancelled the rent,” he said.

“Punch Taverns and EI Enterprise still want the full rent, but they want to collect it after we’ve reopened.

“If the rents aren’t waived, my debt will be over £200,000 in the next six to eight weeks.”

In addition to this, Mr Smythe says he has a total of £8,000 of opened and unopened beer stored in casks in the cellars of his pubs.

Despite being able to claim back duty on out-of-date beverages from the government and send a selection of untouched barrels back to breweries, he expects this to leave him more than £5,000 out of pocket.

Meanwhile, Wetherspoon says its entire stock of beer across its sites in the area is sitting in cellars unable to be used.

Spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The pubs closed without warning, so there was no opportunity to do anything with their beer supplies.

“The pubs are closed and locked up, so the state of the beer is not a major concern.”

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Brad Harper, 9 August 2025.

Landlord of Thomas Becket in Canterbury reveals secrets to success as viral dog-friendly pub ranked one of UK's best.

A pub claiming to be the UK’s most dog-friendly has spent more than £1,200 on Polaroid film capturing its four-legged visitors – with every snapshot proudly on display.

The Thomas Becket in Canterbury is home to a sprawling ‘dog wall’, filled with photos of the hundreds of pooches who’ve popped in for a pint and a ‘Paw Star Martini’.

Chris Lurcook, landlord of Thomas Becket in Canterbury, with one of his dogs and the Polaroid pictures of his furry visitors.

Landlord Chris Lurcook started the tradition during lockdown – and hasn’t been able to stop.

“I chose Polaroids because they look great,” he said.

“What a mistake. I’ve now spent about £1,200 on film, and I can’t stop because people come in 24/7 just to get their dog on the wall. I’ve run out of space.”

The Best Lane pub, where dogs are welcome on the furniture and can tuck into roast dinners or ‘paw-seccos’, was recently named one of The Telegraph’s 500 best in England – the only venue in Canterbury to make the list.

Despite mounting pressure on the industry, Chris, 45, remains confident his focus on dogs will keep customers coming.

“You can have them off the lead if you want, I don’t care,” he said.

The Polaroid pictures of dogs on display at the Thomas Becket in Canterbury.

“You can have them on the furniture. You can have them wherever you want. The number of people who come because they can do that – there’s nowhere off-limits. You just have to keep them under control.

“We’ve only ever had to bar one, and that was solely the owner’s fault.”

Chris, who has two dogs – and two cats – himself, started serving dog-friendly food shortly after taking over in 2022.

The ‘pup grub’, supplied by Sir Woofchesters, is made from naturally flavoured biscuit and kibble.

Items on the menu include a £6.50 meal deal, £5 roast dinners, £3 ice creams, £1 snacks, and £3 ‘martinis’.

The roast dinner consists of dry dog food made with chicken, sweet potato and peas, served with chicken drumstick-shaped treats made from chicken breast, rice and soy protein.

The pub was recently named among the 500 best in England by The Telegraph.

The pub also offers ‘bark burgers’ – beef or chicken patties – and drinks like ‘Paw Star Martinis’, a mix of water, coconut sugar, chicken flavouring, vanilla and passionfruit.

Thomas Becket’s reputation as a haven for hounds means many customers now book in advance – and include their dogs in the headcount.

“They’ll call and say, ‘Two adults, two kids, two dogs’,” Chris said.

“There’s no doubt about it – no other pub is this dog-friendly.”

But the Thomas Becket isn’t just known for its canine credentials. The pub was named CAMRA’s Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay Pub of the Year in 2023 for its changing range of real ales.

Chris never stocks the same ale twice in a row. Each one stays on for a few days at most – if customers are lucky.

Chris Lurcook's dogs at the Thomas Becket in Canterbury.

Real ale makes up 35% of sales, while lager accounts for about 15%.

“They can try a few, see the colours, and choose what they want,” Chris said.

“The Marlowe Theatre helps too – a lot of their audience are retired, have a surplus income, and they tend to be ale drinkers.”

Despite the pub’s popularity, Chris says trading conditions remain tough.

“It’s getting harder every day,” he said. “If you’re a tenant and you’ve got to cover rent, bills, energy and everything else, it’s not like it was 20 years ago.

“About 15 years ago, you might make 82p on a pint. Now it’s more like 18p. Energy bills that were £800 a month are now £2,500.”

Chris Lurcook has run the pub for four years.

Thomas Becket landlord Chris Lurcook also has two cats at the pub.

Although Chris is the landlord, the Thomas Becket is operated under Punch Pubs’ managed partnership model – meaning the company owns the building while he runs the business and shares the profits.

He believes pubs still have a vital role to play.

“You come in, have a pint, chat to your mates, get stuff off your chest – you feel better the next day,” he said.

“That’s never going to go away. But something needs to be done to level the playing field.”