Dorking pub wins Fuller's Griffin Trophy

The Queen’s Head in Dorking, Surrey, has been named the winner of this year’s Griffin Trophy – the annual Pub of the Year competition from Fuller, Smith and Turner.

Run by Manu Bhatt as his own business, The Queen’s Head is part of Fuller’s tenanted inns estate.

On choosing Bhatt as the winner, Fuller's said he has injected his personality throughout, creating an eclectic mix of a fabulous British pub with influences from Bhatt's varied career of working in hospitality across the globe.

The Griffin Trophy is open to all Fuller’s 210 managed pubs and hotels and 174 tenanted inns. As well as the title, the winning licensee receives a £5,000 holiday voucher, a staff party to celebrate with their team, and the Griffin Trophy itself.

Following an extensive selection process, eight finalists were all visited by Fuller's chairman Michael Turner, chief executive Simon Emeny and marketing director Jane Jones, who chose the category and overall winners. The Queen’s Head was named winner of the Best Town/Local category as well as taking the overall title.

“Manu Bhatt is a highly entrepreneurial and creative operator and his experience from his travels really comes through at The Queen’s Head," says Turner. "It’s been a tough time to be running a hospitality business during the last 20 months – but Manu has not only ridden out this turbulent period, he’s exited the pandemic in a fantastically strong position.

“Outdoor dining has grown in popularity and Manu has invested £70,000 in covering his garden, which is on quite an incline, with a giant tepee – almost trebling the number of covers he can serve from his tiny kitchen. It is this sort of ingenuity that makes Manu an outstanding winner of The Griffin Trophy.”

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