"Some of the unfounded abuse that we and myself have received online has been unbelievable.”

Warrington based Landlord Chris Darnbrough and his pub The Queen Anne have received widespread support and condemnation after their advert went viral earlier this week.

The advert, which was shared on the pub’s social media page and quickly went viral, resulted in waves of criticism and support for Chris and the pub.

Chris explained: “The ad was a half tongue in cheek joke. Recently we’ve had a few new starters who haven’t really been cut out for the job, they’ve been turning up late or not at all and haven’t been willing to put the work in that’s required of a busy working kitchen.”

Referencing staffing issues across the UK’s hospitality sector, Chris said: “We were hoping that an advert that was a little different would grab attention and attract good candidates.”

MIXED REACTIONS

Commenting on how the advert has been received online, Chris said: “The reactions have been mixed. Some of the unfounded abuse that we and myself have received online has been unbelievable.”

After the controversial advert was picked up by regional and national press, Chris revealed: “I’ve been called everything from a gammon, to a racist, to transphobic just for using the word snowflake. I’m far from any of these things and see myself as having quite progressive political views.”

He added: “We’ve received many fake online reviews, which has hit our otherwise outstanding Tripadvisor ratings and received a lot of nasty prank phone calls, but we’re all trying to laugh it off.”

Despite the backlash, Chris insisted that most people took the advert how he originally intended it to be taken, with many social media users seeing the funny side of the advert.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the majority of people and most people have seen the funny side,” explained Chris.

“There’s been a lot of assumption that we treat our staff badly, but this is as far from the truth as can be. We are a big family together here, and a lot of the staff have been upset by the abuse they and myself have received.”

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Despite the mixed responses from social media users Chris is still looking to hire a chef to work at The Queen Anne pub.

When asked what the ideal candidate would bring to the role, Chris told us: “Our ideal candidate would be anyone who’s willing to work hard and integrate, preferably with experience but we are happy to train as well, with on-the-job qualifications available.”