Rose & Crown Tavern in New Kent under new management effective Jan. 1
Sam Mula and his fiancee' Miranda Morgan are taking over management of the Rose & Crown Tavern from John Crump on Jan. 1.Alan Chamberlain photo
Back in October, John Crump said he hoped to walk away by Dec. 1 from his job of managing the Rose & Crown Tavern at New Kent Courthouse. The task at hand in the meantime — finding someone interested in buying the restaurant business.
Crump’s timetable didn’t quite hold to form, but now that a new owner is on board, he doesn’t mind postponing his plans for just one more month.
As of Jan. 1, the Rose & Crown changes hands. New Kent resident and county native Sam Mula assumes the reins on that day.
“I’m happy someone from New Kent is going to move forward with it,” Crump said in an interview last Friday. “Sam has been here a long time, and I wish him luck. It looks like a positive thing, and I hope he’ll do well.”
Crump said three groups expressed interest in the tavern, but as for Mula’s proposal, “This just seemed to fit the best.”
The new owner, meanwhile, has wasted little time in adapting to the role. Friday afternoon, he took a break from his training regimen to sit down inside the restaurant and discuss his vision for the future.
“I’m trying to learn everything so that on Jan. 1, I’ll be able to take over,” he said. “We want to do a seamless transition so there’s no lapse in service and customers can keep coming in.”
The 28-year-old admits the Rose & Crown is his first venture into restaurant management and ownership. But working in the kitchens and behind the scenes at several eating establishments in the Richmond area has enabled him to gain a wealth of knowledge, he said.
Mula learned about the Rose & Crown opportunity through his fiancée, Miranda Morgan, who just happened to be on the tavern’s staff. Together, they plan to run the restaurant with the help of their chef, Alicia Lindsay, who has been in charge of the kitchen since 2010. Current staff will be staying on, and there are plans to add new employees, particularly in the kitchen, he added.
“We’re really don’t want to change things,” he said. “We’ll serve the same clientele, and we don’t really want to drop it down to my age group.”
Menu items stay intact for now, but with time the restaurant could lean more toward Southern cuisine, Mula said. Also, operating hours are to remain the same.
“The biggest change we want to do right now is get the lunch crowd in here,” he said. “We want to attract people who work for the county and the schools. To do that, we want to add more sandwiches and entrees that are quick to prepare and get out the door.”
Crump, meanwhile, said that since word spread in October that he was seeking a new owner, business has been on the rise thus providing a solid foundation for Mula to inherit next month.
Mula agreed, saying, “Everybody loves this restaurant the way it is. I just want to bring in better food quality and bring service up to par.”