Strathmore landlord shows us why his newly-renovated pub is a hit

Ask any seasoned drinker and they’ll tell you 795 Maryhill Road holds a real gem: the newly renovated Strathmore Pub.

Despite having the same locality as the previous Strathmore, the new owners have opted for a completely different design which gives off a very student-friendly vibe. The Tab spoke to one of the owners, Calum Lawson.

He got a haircut just to meet us

What inspired the whole redevelopment?

A lot of things honestly. We feel like there’s nothing else really in the area so there’s a niche in the market. There’s lots of new flats which have been built nearby. Also, with the gentrification of the West End we really want to take advantage of that. I mean it’s not been a quick process, we thought of this two and a half years ago but we finally got there.

Who is the pub marketed to?

Students mostly, but everyone really. We’re quite food-orientated and there’s really nowhere locally to go for things to eat unless you go right into the West End.

Tell me a bit about yourself, what’s your history?

I’ve worked in bars, pubs and restaurants for 15 years. I was also a full-time DJ a while ago so I want to get that across in here by holding music events. We will be hosting open mic nights because we feel there’s really a demand for it. We had a few students in during the week and we’re looking to get more in by gearing these music events towards them. Students are young and tend to be much shyer so we want to encourage them to come in by making it as appealing and friendly to them as possible. We’re also going to be doing a lunchtime deal.

The new glasshouse extension

We all know students love a cheap drink so what’s the cost of a pint of Tennent’s here?

We don’t do Tennent’s here as students don’t really buy that but we do have a Strathmore draft lager. We know students like cheap drink so we do spirits and mixer for £3 and cocktails from £3.50. We have an affiliation with Vodka Wodka, they’re like our sister unit, but we’re not really sure what to do with that yet.

What are your hopes/goals for the pub?

I just want the pub to be a really nice place where everyone can feel comfortable and have a good time. I want this to be their local and also their social hub.

Where do you see it in five years’ time?

Aw I hate this type of question haha! I guess I see us getting better.  We have a long-term strategy as we intend to be here for a long time. I’m sure the area will improve too, helping us to improve.

There’s even a fire (for burning all your textbooks)

What do you think about the location? Would you prefer it to be closer to the West End?

The location is perfect. There’s a gap in the market here for this type of thing and if we were closer to the uni what’s to say students would come here? It’s so close to Murano halls: there’s only one way to get out from there so a lot of students pass us.

A much more modern bar

What’s the best and worst moment since opening?

The worst would be rushing about trying to get everything done for the opening. We have a whole new team of staff but we had to get them cleaning instead of training because we were so desperate to open on the date we’d set.

Best moment was when we opened the doors and people started coming in. It’s been a promising start as we’ve had lots of people in for food and for cocktails. It’s just nice to see that all of my ideas have been working.