A POPULAR pub and cocktail bar is set to reopen the nightclub aspect to its business once again.

Joe Bananas — the nightclub’s name — is a family business in Duke Street in Whitehaven.

Set up in 2015 by owner Jason Fisher and hopefully seeing the end of a turbulent year behind them, manager of the business Robert Macmillan opened the bar at the start of June to house England football fans for the Euros.

Successfully adapting to the coronavirus, Robert has been at the forefront of transitioning the business into the nightlife. He said: “It’s been a tricky one for us. We just want to follow the government guidelines and we wouldn’t reopen if it wasn’t a safe environment.

“We’ve monitored the spread of Covid among our staff and we’ve never had a Covid case among them.

“The procedures we’ve implemented are clearly working so we want to continue with that as best we can and have a minimal spread of infection at all costs.”

The family acquired the space for their business back in 2015 expanding over from Shaker’s in Whitehaven where the family runs both businesses in tandem.

Jason Fisher had worked in Hong Kong as a DJ. “We’ve brought a lot of those influences over,” said Robert. “Business and management styles as well as how we run the bar — contributing factors which make us popular with the locals.

“And the experience our staff brings to the table also help.”

The nightclub will be open on July 19 for a disco night.

A part of Robert’s job is to differentiate the two bars, to find which makes each one unique to Whitehaven. He said: “In what is sometimes a condensed market, we put an emphasis on signature cocktails and offer our customers something new and different.

“It’s very exciting to reopen, but you've got to approach it with caution. I think everyone is excited and it’s very surreal after a year of strict measures that we’re actually allowed to open the nightclub side to our business again.

“It’s been unusual. We’re unsure on how to transition Joe Bananas back to how it was before Covid.

“There will definitely be increased seating and a bigger area for people who want to disco. Our one-way system also worked a treat.”

Robert and his family are moving into the beverage industry after a successful trial run of their cocktails over lockdown. They will be supplying other cocktail bars with their drinks.