The name Loxleys had been passed down through the decades as the previous use of the property before the dress shop, was a wool shop owned by two sisters from Loxley village on the outskirts of Stratford. John felt the name was part of the heritage of the building so became custodian of that too. The feather in the Loxleys logo is a nod to Shakespeare!
John's son, Jonathan (Jon), was at university at the time studying for a degree in business management. Although originally from the Warrington area, he had visited Stratford with his father virtually every weekend from a young age, knew and loved the town and was excited to come on board once he graduated. As a family they had a great affinity for the town and although John had no experience in the hospitality industry, he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve. As a business man, quality, great service and good value were in his blood, so why not apply that ethos to a restaurant? To have his son on board completed the dream-to build a lasting legacy for his family.
Jon has worked tirelessly the past few years building his experience and recently became proud Manager of Loxleys.
The next job was to find a chef and after the same name kept cropping up with savvy locals, Head Chef Paul McCoombes was invited to join the Loxleys famlly right from the start. Paul had worked locally for over ten years, knew his trade inside out and was absolutely ready for this project, grabbing the opportunity with both hands. He was instrumental in redesigning the ramshackle dusty barn at the back of the shop into the perfect working kitchen for Loxleys. Paul as head Chef built his team of senior sous chef, sous chef and a team of chef de parties including Kitchen Porters.
Paul felt he had 'come home' when he took on the role of Head Chef and continues to create innovative and exciting dishes using locally sourced fresh ingredients with a new seasonal menu launched three times a year.
Working closely with the Heritage Town Trust to retain the original features of the building, the conversion took place in an incredibly short two months and the restaurant with its beautiful bar and various eating areas filled with character opened in December 2012. It quickly became a popular and well-loved eating destination amongst visitors and locals alike and that continues to grow.
