MP for Shrewsbury Julia Buckley spent Saturday 25 July behind the bar at the Crown pub in Abbey Foregate.
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The Labour MP, who has represented Shrewsbury since 2024, tackled the weekly beer delivery, cleaning, front-of-house preparations and pulling pints.
Posting on social media the following day, the pub said the visit had provided Buckley with “genuine insight” into the realities of running a hospitality business.
“We were delighted to welcome MP Julia Buckley as she took on the challenge of experiencing ‘A Day in the Life of a Pub Landlord’,” the post said.
Behind the scenes
“The aim of the day was to give Julia a genuine insight into the realities of running a hospitality business and the challenges we face every single day. It’s fair to say she experienced exactly that.”
According to the post, Buckley arrived at 6.45am ready for a 7am start, with the week’s beer delivery first on the agenda before cleaning the front of the pub.
“From there, it was straight into preparing for service: setting out the tables and chairs, laying up for afternoon tea, and working with the kitchen team to plan the day’s running order,” it continued.
“Throughout the day, Julia served guests, navigated allergy requests, and experienced first-hand the multitasking and problem-solving that hospitality professionals do so naturally.
“As the day went on, she also got involved with the less visible side of the business, from contacting waste companies to reviewing our Christmas menu and tackling the countless jobs that keep a pub running behind the scenes.
Clearer understanding
“After completing a full 12-hour shift, Julia finished the day with a much clearer understanding of what it really means to work in hospitality and why our industry needs greater support from the Government.”
Following the visit, Buckley also took to social media to thank the pub for hosting her, adding the experience taught her a lot and would help her highlight the support needed from Parliament to other ministers.
The visit was also documented by BBC Radio Shropshire, with Buckley and the pub discussing the financial pressures facing hospitality businesses.
Speaking to The BBC, the Crown’s business development manager Caleb Matthews added the Government’s recent business rates cut would save the pub around £1,000 a year, but warned the measure would do little to offset rising operating costs.
“It is obviously a great help, but it doesn’t go too far,” he said.
“With wages increasing, energy increases, everything increased, even the cost of lager... it doesn’t stretch too far.”
