I love this place. I love its ethos around supporting the indie community and all the ideas around food. So to hear Croxton’s is celebrating turning 6 years old really brings a smile to my face.
There is always something happening at Croxton’s, whether it’s the food deal they have on or an event that looks as cool as. From the branding, the colours of the interiors, and the way the residence on Palmy Road offers that relaxed vibe, I am so pleased it has done so well to celebrate 6 wholesome years. Not just through a pandemic and a cost of living crisis but being able to thrive and be a strong part of this independent community.
Whenever my loved ones are in town, we always go here. It is full of people enjoying the food and the drink and who can remember the vibes on NYE with fried chicken and champagne?
Getting a chance to sit down with the busy owners of Croxton’s is rare, but I managed to grill them on what it is like to own a successful indie business after 6 years.
Thanks Matt for making the time.
After speaking to you in passing the other day, you mentioned Croxton’s turn 6 soon! That’s amazing, what does it feel like to have a business at the 6-year mark?
Quite unbelievable really, isn’t there a stat that 50% of all new businesses will fail within 5 years or something? Well, we’re still here, throw in a pandemic, a cost of living crisis, utilities bills going through the roof, not much help or support from the council, Southsea town centre in decline and somehow we’ve just had our best year ever!!! Testament to the staff, the product, and I guess to a lot of hard work.
Didn’t you just win an award? Tell us more!
We did indeed. The award was for Best Casual Dining Venue in Hampshire & IOW! We didn’t even know we had been nominated until someone sent it to us, the competition is run by Muddy Stiletto who highlights the best in class from each county across a range of categories. Our amazing customers voted for us against 8 other venues and we came out on top, now we’re into the national finals which get awarded in July by a panel of experts.
What do you think drives people to your doors?
Consistently high standards of food, it’s a real foodie’s place as you know, we try to cater for everybody, keep it interesting for our regular customers and for people who’ve not visited us yet! Keep an eye out for our new menu which is launching very soon and includes even more vegan dishes along with some great salads and bowls for the summer. And to top it off we sell some great beers, and the summer cocktail menu is also shaping up to be a banger.
Who else is involved in Croxton’s and what does it take to run a popular bar/restaurant?
3 of us help operations from the sidelines as it’s a “side hustle” for us (I hate that term haha) but Brad’s our man on the ground, our Head Chef and business partner he’s the one who lives and breathes Croxton’s every-single-day, along with our managers Lou & Rufus. This tight-knit crew makes sure everything ticks over nicely.
What’s next for Croxton’s? Would you consider expanding?
Not only do we want to survive in these economically challenging times – we want to thrive. We were so close to turning over £1 million in the last year, so our goals are firmly set on that for this year, as mentioned before new menu, new cocktails, more DJ nights, and turning Croxtons into the go-to place for food and good times all based around an amazing community spirit which our customers have created. And who knows maybe Croxton’s 2.0 could one day happen in another city…
I always think of community when I think of Croxton’s, so many people have visited and always say great things, why is community so important to you?
Portsmouth/Southsea is our home, we all live here, and we wanted to create a place for us and our friends to enjoy, thankfully a lot of other people enjoy it too. That sense of community is important to us, we’ve hosted art & photography exhibitions, charity fundraisers, and now it’s carried over to our run club. The Croxton’s Run Club started in January as a place for us to drink coffee and run around Southsea with some friends, now we have 80 people turning up at 7.45am every Saturday. It’s such a good vibe and we’ve met some great people along the way, the Croxton’s family is growing.
Croxton’s are celebrating with 2-4-1 cocktails this Friday night (24th of May) in conjunction with this SF interview. Just show this blog post or the corresponding SF Instagram or Facebook post to get 2-4-1 cocktails all night!!! ENJOY
