The general manager of The Globe Patrick Gatherer has worked at the British pub in three spells since 2005, charting the path for good beer and food.
Patrick Gatherer hosted a lease renewal party in early October at The Globe, possibly Hong Kong’s first, when the general manager of the British pub in Soho signed for a three-year-extension on the property.
The renewal will bring the life of Hong Kong’s most well-known pub to 18 years standing in its Soho location. Founded in 1995 in a smaller spot on Hollywood Road, and nearing three decades of beer and British food, Patrick is “excited that we are we are able to carry on.”
“Looking at a number of places that are closing down [in Hong Kong], either with a lot of fanfare or quietly, we want to make some noise about three more years of The Globe,” Patrick told Foodie at his Soho pub. Fans of the pub can expect HKD25 beers all day long to celebrate at the party.
Raised in Hong Kong, Patrick’s service to Hong Kong began when he joined The Globe in 2005 as a bartender under then-owner Toby Cooper. When the pub moved to its current Graham Street location in 2009, Patrick, as a manager, “helped set the tone and vibe of the pub.”
The Globe’s is one of the city’s largest drinking holes, featuring four cushioned booths and four high tables, a plush sofa area, a circular bar counter, and a dozen tables. At capacity, the pub can fit 300 drinkers during big sporting events.
Patrick says it’s important to maintain the old feel of the former location and amp up the British feel of The Globe, an identity that the pub has held onto since 1995. “The handles on the beer taps are made from the original pub chairs, the barstools are the originals from the old pub, and the booth tables are made from the floorboards of the old pub.” The pub’s interior is reminiscent of any countryside village pub found across the UK.
“If I was Australian, it would be important for The Globe to feel like an Australian pub. If I was German, it would be important that it feel like a German beer hall. But I really think British pubs are the best pubs. With our pies, food, beer, cask ale, and cider, in Hong Kong, a post-colonial city, it makes sense for us to be a British pub.”
Their drinks menu features dozens of draught beer and cider picks from Hong Kong and globally. Their classic pies, a staple to the British pub, are a permanent fixture to their food programme. Pie flavours like chicken leek & ale, steak & kidney, and cheese & onion complement British favourites haddock fish & chips, scotch egg, and pork & leek sausages on the menu. They also host a weekly Sunday roast.
Their lunch menu changes weekly, allowing regulars to try French, Italian, Thai, and other cuisines at the pub. “I think every chef that works here gets endlessly frustrated that it changes every week, but I can’t see myself going back to the same place for the same dish over and over and over again for lunch,” Patrick admits.
Beyond the substantive food menu and many variants of beer, what The Globe is is not a sports bar; “we are definitely a pub with some screens. Unless there’s a game to show, we do not have the TVs on. We want people to talk to each other and have beers here.”
In a Hong Kong seemingly addicted to novelty, new openings, menus, drinks, and promotions, Patrick finds The Globe in a “luxury position” where his pub fits a key purpose.
“Pubs are reliable, honest, and comforting. We don’t need to have a new spring menu. We need to make sure the pies are always good, the beer lines are clean, and the service is borderline friendly [laughs]. We just need to be comfortable and this is why we kind of got through COVID. We are a staple in Hong Kong”
The Globe strikes a balance in customer spending. A glass of wine or pint can be enjoyed for HKD50 and up during happy hour from 9AM to 7PM, Hong Kong’s longest and a promotion that has been fixed at the pub since 2005. “We have forever said no service charge too,” owing to greater customer satisfaction.
Admittedly, Patrick has benefited from changes in Hong Kong’s pub scene that has strengthened The Globe’s standing as the go-to British pub. British pub chain McSorley’s Ale House closed operations in April 2022, Kennedy Town’s Shoreditch shuttered earlier this year, and the historic Pickled Pelican chain has pulled out of the local market.
“In Hong Kong, pubs have fallen by the wayside, because the only places that are opening and thriving now are cocktail bars.” Yes, The Globe do serve cocktails, a collection of signature house cocktails, but the pub’s strength lies in their large beer selection.
Patrick’s leadership involves almost every task at the pub: human resources, beer selection and procurement, marketing, and entertainment. “I take pride in the guest beer tap list and making sure we show support for local breweries, spreading the love in Hong Kong.” Under him, The Globe has become a key player in the local craft beer scene supporting breweries.
Visits to The Globe largely come from a key regular crowd of Brits, Europeans, and Hong Kongers, by way of word-of-mouth. He keeps his social media presence at a minimum, “which is very mediocre” he jokes, to maintain his value as a small independent business.
Does Patrick get bored running a pub that he has worked at over three terms since 2005? No, he says. “Our customer base spans a full spectrum of young people to old regulars.”
There are many venues that have opened to much fanfare in recent years, but fewer that have been able to cement a community such as The Globe has. “When you build a community, you become not a destination but part of the neighbourhood.”
Patrick’s grand plans for the next three years of The Globe is to continue the legacy of the pub in Soho and Hong Kong. “I am always on the lookout for suitable locations to expand the business – a Globe in Wan Chai and in Mongkok would be amazing!”
Head to The Globe for a taste of British pies and pub food and beer sourced from Hong Kong, the UK, and Europe.
