Manager of one of Worthing's most popular pubs marks eight years in charge – juggling full-time work and family life

Having grown up in Tarring, and gone to Thomas A Becket First and Middle Schools, she got into hospitality and worked her way up to supervisor at The Thomas A Becket pub before being headhunted to work as deputy manager at a pub in Farnham.

She joined the Fullers management training programme, and after working as a ‘holding’ manager at another pub in Surrey for six months, she was told the manager role at The Thomas A Becket was available. She applied, and beat three other candidates to get the role at the age of just 24. That was back in 2018, and now Stacey is marking eight years in charge.

Stacey said: “Because I came back to where I started, it wasn’t daunting starting the job. My family are here, and I went to school here, and I knew some of the staff already.

"It’s been a brilliant ride, all the locals have been really supportive and happy to see me, and I have a fantastic team.

"One of the locals even contacted the Fullers ops manager to say that I should be the manager before I got it, which was so lovely.”

Since taking charge of one of Worthing’s most well-known pubs, Stacey has had two children – now aged 6 and 18 months – and has learned to juggle her full-time role with family life.

She lives above the pub with her children and partner – who also works in the hospitality sector as a chef – and said even though navigating the hours can be tricky, they make it work.

Looking back on her time at the pub, in Rectory Road, Stacey said the most challenging time was during Covid, which hit when she was on maternity leave with her son.

"I ended up coming back to work early, because everything was uncertain and I wanted to get involved and find out what was going on,” she said. “The guidance from head office was great, and we were given two weeks to reopen the business, but it was such a strange time and we didn’t know what to expect.”

Stacey said The Thomas A Becket has a wide range of customers, with many local workers on weeknights and Fridays, and families at the weekend. Lots of the same teams enter the fortnightly quiz on a Tuesday, and regulars enjoy the live entertainment which includes a range of musicians and bands. The next event is a country and western evening on Friday, May 15.

Stacey said she’d recommend other young people getting into hospitality: “It’s a fun environment to be around at a young age. I think a lot of young people get int bar and café work and don’t intend to stay because they’re going to university and things like that, but it’s a great career and I’ve really enjoyed it.

"I’m a people person and I’ll chat to anyone, and I think that’s because of the job because it definitely builds confidence, especially in young people.”

There are 20 staff at the pub, a mix of full and part-time roles, with many of them having worked with Stacey for years. The restaurant can seat 60 people, with around 70 more seats in the pub and the same amount again in the three outdoor areas.

They host a lot of private events, such as birthday parties, as well as wedding receptions, and can offer hire of the pub as a whole.

A new summer menu is launching on Thursday, April 30, and those making a booking for that date will receive 20 per cent off.

To make a booking, or for more information, see https://www.thomas-a-becket.co.uk/

You can also follow the pub on Facebook and Instagram.