Rumkeg876, on Abbeydale Road, is preparing to move a few doors across to the unit formerly occupied by La Mama – which closed in July this year.
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00:00The first two years have been hard at times but we have enjoyed it. I've enjoyed every
00:09minute of it. Met so many good people, met some bad ones but yeah I've enjoyed every
00:17minute of it. It's a lot of work, it's not easy but the customers are enjoying it and
00:24that makes us as a staff feel more relaxed, more comfortable and can continue to let them
00:31enjoy it.
00:32And what is it then that you think makes Rum Keg stand out from other bars and is the secret
00:38to its success over the past two years?
00:41I don't think there's a secret. I believe like before I opened Rum Keg I've had a dream
00:48of owning my own bar. I used to represent Jamaica as a bartender so it's a passion,
00:56something I used to do for free, both cooking and making cocktails for friends and family
01:01for free so it was just right that at some point I get rewarded for it and that's why
01:07I started. I've had a long term dream, I've managed other bars before, I've competed against
01:14some good bartenders in the world and I just thought one day I will want a little bar of
01:19my own. The plan wasn't to stop working, the plan was always to have my normal day job
01:27and have a little bar as a little chill out spot to remind myself of being in Jamaica
01:34and my little home away from home, it just happens that it became Sheffield's home,
01:43kind of thing, if that makes sense. So yeah, that's the reason.
01:48And then, so you've got your new venue opening a few doors down, Labdale Road, what are you
01:52looking forward to about that?
01:54Well, I'm not sure if I'm looking forward yet because there's got a lot of work, I've
01:58had a lot of customers come to me like, if you're not doing the food, we're not coming,
02:04so it's kind of somewhat of a threat but banter, you know, and I do get it, you know, over
02:13the past couple of years, all the customers are so used to seeing me in here all the time,
02:19so rightfully so, I'll probably be in there, but some days I'm not going to be able to
02:25be there every day, but I will be there cooking, making cocktails, serving great rum from around
02:32the world.
02:33And what are you looking forward to about the closing party for this place at the end?
02:36Closing party, yes, I can't believe I'm doing it, but the plan is to get every customer
02:45that come on the day, they're going to bring one item from the bar to the new bar, and
02:52then with that, we're going to take a photograph of each customer and make like a photo collage,
02:59then get them to sign it, and then we'll have it on a big massive frame in the new bar.
03:04Fantastic, and when are you hoping to open the new venue?
03:07Fingers crossed.
03:08Fingers crossed.
03:09Once you've got all the work done.
03:10Yeah, we need to get most of the work done, but we just need to get everything signed
03:14off and ready and, you know, all the legalities and stuff like that, we have to wait for all
03:19of those kind of stuff, but it's, we're pretty much setting stone over there, there weren't
03:25too much work to do, it's just about, it was just about us making it a rum keg.
03:32So yeah, so maybe early October.