With the Euro’s coming up, we’ve gone behind the scenes with Sam, Operations Manager at East Putney Tavern.
Can you introduce yourself and explain your role at East Putney Tavern?
My name is Sam Watson and I am the Operations Manager for the East Putney Tavern, having been the General Manager since we opened in 2017 until 2023.
What’s the best thing about managing a pub in Putney and why?
I absolutely adore running a pub, and living in Putney, I have really settled here. We have great diversity of people, mostly all really friendly. Growing up in an Oxfordshire village I feel that Putney shares a lot of village ‘vibes’ and the community really looks after each other. There are plenty of places to go if you want to stay in Putney, but you can be on a train and feel like you’re in the countryside in 20 minutes, or get more into central London in the same amount of time. Every time I come over Putney Bridge it feels like home.
Have you got anything exciting lined up for the Euros?
We will be showing all the games! We have areas for everyone, whether you have a big group that want to be together for the England matches, or if you just want to come down and support your own team we can fit all in. We have a special ‘Fan Zone’ for groups that want the full package – beer and burgers all around. We are also partnering with Neck Oil to do a match predictor and win free pints – just log into our Wi-Fi!
Do you have a favourite memory from running the pub?
Hard to pick a single favourite memory, but seeing England’s football and rugby teams doing well always brings the people together and creates such a great atmosphere. The first live music event we held will always be a great memory – the locals really got behind it and we had such an amazing night, still going strong every Friday night to this date!
What is your most popular drinks order and what’s the strangest drinks order you’ve had?
We do sell a lot of beer! In particular our own Battersea unfiltered lager and having Erdinger on tap is always great. Once got asked for a horrible shot for a stag party doing the Tuesday quiz night, so we filled a shot glass with tabasco and tequila! Wasn’t too bad actually…
What does East Putney Tavern offer that others in the area don’t?
As mentioned before, Putney is a great place to be, but at the East Putney Tavern we really care about the community. We have spaces for every group 1-100+, have held all sorts of events for people from product launches to parents evenings, staff lunches to band nights. We have an open mind to events and try to curate the day/night you are looking for.
East Putney Tavern offers something for everyone in the Putney community. Whether you want a delicious Sunday lunch or to watch Live Sports, make sure to book ahead.