New managers at The Thomas A Becket in Worthing, Lisa and Jonny Farrell, put candidates to the test this week to find a Trainee Assistant Manager for the pub, which is undergoing a significant refurbishment and will reopen next week.
Following a recruitment day to find staff for the pub, Lisa and Jonny challenged six Trainee Assistant Manager applicants to come up with a plan for an event that would help them mark the reopening and the pub’s centenary year.
From these six plans, three candidates, Tania Martin, Jorge Monte & James Neenan, were invited to a make a boardroom presentation to Lisa, Jonny and Fuller’s Operations Manager Rupert Burnell-Nugent on Monday, July 11.
Following the presentations, the board conferred and in the end it was James Neenan whose ideas triumphed and who heard the now-famous phrase, “You’re Hired.”
Lisa Farrell, manager of The Thomas A Becket, said: “Both Jonny and I have served our apprenticeships in the pub trade, and here we are now managing a business that turns over hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. We’re very excited about what lies ahead for us at The Thomas A Becket and we’re delighted that James will be joining us.
“James’ presentation was first-class. His food ideas for the day were great, he’d planned timings, got costs and even did a survey of the public. We were very impressed and he certainly deserves to be hired.”
James Neenan, new Trainee Assistant Manager at The Thomas A Becket said: “It was great to part of such an exciting selection process and I’m really pleased that Lisa, Jonny and Rupert liked my ideas. I can’t wait for the reopening when I can really start my career in the trade, in a truly fantastic pub.”
James joined the team at The Thomas A Becket immediately and has already started his training in earnest, ready for the pub’s reopening on July 25. His Dixieland Day will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, August 29.