A DROITWICH landlord is celebrating after his venue was named among the country’s elite on food delivery service JustEat.
When the pandemic hit, Simon Berry, who runs the Gardeners Arms, took on the challenge and stepped up deliveries, also registering with the online service.
In the first five months of the pandemic, the pub had delivered 35,000 meals and now, a year on, it has been named a ‘Local Legend’ by JustEat.
Mr Berry said: “The rep told us it was almost unheard of to get to this level in just a year – not bad for a pub in a cul-de-sac.
“When the lockdown started we made sure we didn’t sit back – we worked hard to ensure something good could come out of all this mayhem.”
He has been offering street food for the past three months which people can then take off and enjoy in a safe space in Vines Park or one of Droitwich’s other areas and that has also gone down really well.
“The award is testament not only to our skills but also to the support we have received from the Droitwich community to see us through these tough times.”
A spokesperson for Just Eat said “The Gardeners Arms has become a Just Eat Local Legend – the hardest achievement – in just 12 months from becoming a partner, which is unprecedented.
“But their biggest award is in our best partner ranking where they are in the top five per cent of Just Eats UK’s independent restaurants and takeaways.”
Like many landlords, Mr Berry reopened for outdoor service on Monday and is looking forward to getting back to more normality next month.
In the meantime, the food the pub has become renowned for can still be enjoyed by ordering directly or searching for ‘Gardeners Arms’ on the JustEat website or ‘Bespoke Kitchen’for the street food.
