About Us

Here is just a little info to let you get to know us better...

History

Here is a little potted history of our pub and the local area... if you have a spare minute or two and maybe a cup of tea (or is that a G&T), we think it's well worth a read.

Jerry had spent much of his childhood in Colwyn Bay, and he remembers it as a genteel spinster aunt of a town - which of course describes pretty much every seaside town of that era.

We were aware that the Glasfryn in Mold was pulling in people from quite a way along the North Wales coast, because in all honesty there weren't that many nice places to go between Anglesey and Chester. So when Taylor's pub, as it was then, came on the market, our ears pricked up. Taylor's had been built in the seventies by David Taylor, the manager of the Royal Hotel in the middle of Colwyn Bay, who had decided that he wanted to build his own pub.

Martin McHale, one of our locals, told us that the plot of land that the pub and grounds sits on was up for grabs in the early eighties and both David and a local house builder were after the site. Fortunately David was successful in acquiring the site and he and the builder never spoke to each other again! All of the bricks in the external walls of the properties, and various other construction materials, were acquired by David following the demolition of a substantial number of properties between Old Colwyn and the West End of Colwyn Bay to make way for the new A55 dual carriageway in the early eighties. The pub opened for business as Taylors in late 1983. David sold the pub to Ray Perry in 1998 and we bought it from him.

Before we rogered it

The same view today

We liked the location, just far enough out of town to avoid the drinking circuit; we liked the views out over the sea and the headlands; we liked the dimensions of the building, which could support a busy operation; we liked the substantial car park, and we liked being in the heart of an extensive local community.

Pre-rogered

Rogered

We bought the pub as a going concern but one of the difficulties was that the 'going concern' bit included a substantial youth trade, centred around Karaoke nights, which wasn't our bag at all.

Before

Roger was here

We opened in June 2001 after a substantial refit, and had to do quite a bit of jigging and tweaking the edges to get the right amount of 'pubiness', but it now fits like a comfortable shoe, with its old furniture, open fires, oak floors, rugs and newspapers.

If you'd like to put a name to a face, allow us to introduce you to the crew...


Front of house

Andrew

Manager

'Andy Cov' began his B&P journey at the Pen Y Bryn back in 2006. A very short career (a whole week) selling fish followed and then managing a few other B&P pubs such as The Little Manor in Thelwall and The Bull's Head in Mottram St Andrew, with a little more success (we think) after that. But the chance to return to the PYB in 2019, was too good an opportunity, so he's back in the place where he actually met his wife Sam all those years ago. They now have two little girls Matilda and Nell who keep them busy. He also sees himself as a bit of a demon golfer (or so he tells us) and you'll see him sneaking home at the end of a shift with his favourite bottle of Merlot.

Caitie

Senior Deputy Manager

Caitie's been with us since 2013 and is the IT saviour of the pub....much to our head chef and manager's relief!! If you want a job doing.... you ask Caitie! She has worked her way up from a casual and we wouldn't be without her. She is a shoulder to cry on whenever you need her and a great listener, as our resident agony aunt! When she is not in the pub you will find her (texting and doing things for the pub!!) socialising or on a lake somewhere on her paddle board! If you do see her on the other side of the bar, her favourite tipple is a glass of Malbec..... and it's a large one!!

Rob

Deputy Manager

Rob is our football and golf enthusiast. Not a fan of technology, so if you need to get hold of him messenger pigeon is the way to go! He's a keen book worm and after years of trying, we've established he's unbeatable at fantasy football.

Rachel

Assistant Manager

Our Rach has worked her way up to Assistant Manager from starting with us as a crew member back in 2019. Rachel's hobbies include drinking and going out for food, so she is well suited to her role in pub life! When she is not working, you can find her sunning herself on one of her many beach holidays. She is a ray of sunshine and a proper grafter, she loves nothing more than running a full bar on a busy Saturday night. Her favourite tipple is a New Zealand Sauvignon..... large..... with plenty of ice!

Sam

Supervisor

Sam is married to Andrew our manager, and some would say the "real boss"! She has worked at the Pen Y Bryn since she was 18 and met her lovely hubby here after he vowed "to never get with a girl from work!" Any job in the pub, you name it she has done it.... a Jack of all trades you might say! She can often be found running after their daughter's Matilda and Nell around the pub on their scooters, or sipping (many) Aperol spritz. It's no surprise that our new cocktails were her idea!

Rachel

Supervisor

Rachel joined us last September and this is her first role in hospitality, but you would never tell, as she is a natural! We are lucky that she likes it that much, that this is now her full time job! She is a friendly and caring member of the team, and also enjoys a boogie to our KP's Euro dance music in the afternoons, as well as sampling our new cocktails!


Kitchen

Jonathan

Head Chef

What can we say about Jonny Rathbone?! Our superstar Head Chef that has been with us since we opened all those years ago..... Jonny IS the Pen y Bryn! He has been through it all... however sadly his IT skills still haven't improved much in all that time! He and his lovely wife Jen have two gorgeous children, George and Florence, and he somehow manages to run our very busy kitchen whilst still making the school run every day! In his spare time he likes to play golf and is particularly partial to a pint of Stella on the 19th hole.

Sean

Senior Sous Chef

Affectionately known as Smudger, Sean is a happy chef with an army background, so he's disciplined and hard working, quiet and very easy going. He's an ex boxer who loves playing the guitar: so there's a lot going on there. He's also a devoted Dad and husband.

Omar

Sous Chef

Omar is our recently promoted junior sous chef, and it couldn't be more deserved! Originally from Gambia, he joined us 5 years ago as a kitchen porter and we quickly realised his talent was for cheffing. His gentle and kind nature means he is a favourite with all our staff, especially the bar staff, as he can carry our heavy bottle bin single handedly! It is no surprise that his passions are the gym and hiking oh and he loves a certain red team from Merseyside!

Mike

Sous Chef

“Mushroom Mike” as we like to call him, is our very talented Sous Chef. Having worked for Brunning and price for 15 years, he originally earned his stripes at our sister pub, the Cornmill in Llangollen. Luckily for us though, he decided to relocate to the beautiful north Wales coast where he now lives with his partner Ffion. Mike is a keen forager and when he’s not in work he likes to spend his time out in nature looking for mushrooms and last year he actually discovered a new species.... (hence the name!!).

Luke

Chef de Partie

Luke started his B&P career 4 years ago as a Kitchen Porter, he has now worked his way up to Chef de Partie and has never looked back. We are all really proud of his progress, as he now "bosses" the sweets and starters section. He has a great sense of humour and even Ethel, the love of his life, (his pug!) would agree!

Stu

Senior Chef de Partie

Stuart, or Stuie as he is known to all of us, has worked on and off at the Pen Y Bryn for 21 years! His cheffing career has taken him from a plucky 16 year old kitchen porter to a vital and valued member of the kitchen team. His kind nature and his infectious sense of humour is what makes him so special, although some of his music tastes are pretty questionable! Stuie's 3 loves in life are his wife Carys, his son Brody and Wrestling.... which he even has his own popular podcast and youtube channel on!

Roman

Kitchen Porter

Roman originally hails from the Czech Republic and has been working with us for the last 3 years. He is a keen videographer and even has his own youtube channel. Roman is a true grafter and no matter how busy a shift gets, you can always rely on him to greet you with a calm smile. When the lunchtime rush is over we all love to head to the KP area to listen to his favourite Euro dance and trance music as well!


Maintenance

Steven

Gardener/Maintenance Person

Steve arrived before we even opened, when he planned, designed and landscaped the pub gardens, which were in a right old state. He is our full time gardener/handyman and fire-starter etc..If it needs doing, he will do it, especially if you ask nicely.