![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lcnonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/glenn-mcshane.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGlenn\u2019s mum, Marie, worked as a waitress all her life and it was she who had introduced him to hospitality during her time at McKevitt\u2019s Hotel in Carlingford. But Glenn says that he\u2019d always known he wanted to more with his career than cook:<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m a people person, I always have been, I like to be in front of people, talking to them and listening to the craic. That\u2019s more me.\u2019<\/p>\n
Glenn made the move into bar work, departing for Salou where he stayed for three years:<\/p>\n
\u2018It was good fun, but it was hard work,\u2019 he recalls. \u2018I learned a lot about the trade, especially dealing with pressure when you get hit by a huge volume of people very quickly.\u2019<\/p>\n
At the age of 26, Glenn was back in NI where he immediately landed a job managing the Quayside Inn in Newry. He stayed there for almost five years.<\/p>\n
\u2018When you\u2019re working as a chef, you really have to move from one place to another in order to learn the game, but in bar work, it\u2019s not the same,\u2019 remarks Glenn. \u2018Newry isn\u2019t a big town and if you move around a lot, you\u2019ll find that you soon run out of places to work in.\u2019<\/p>\n
The move to Cobbles came in 2013. Originally, he looked after the bar but when the manager moved on, Glenn was promoted to fill the gap.<\/p>\n
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Cobbles, at The Mall in Newry, is a bar, restaurant and weekend club venue that pitches itself at a fairly upmarket and slightly older crowd.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s very busy, I\u2019d say it\u2019s one of the most popular bars in town,\u2019 says Glenn. \u2018We\u2019ll run anything from 35 to 40 live music sessions a month in here along with karaoke on a Thursday night and the club, which is open all weekend.<\/p>\n
\u2018Making sure that we are able to stage all that live entertainment is a large part of my job. We have live bands and DJs here 52 weeks in the year, so there\u2019s a lot to keep an eye on. The best way to do it is to have a look at what\u2019s up and coming. I keep track of what\u2019s happening in places like Belfast and Bangor and that\u2019s my guide.\u2019<\/p>\n
In terms of priorities, Glenn is focused on remaining competitive in the marketplace and maintaining the quality of the customer service at Cobbles.<\/p>\n
\u2018That\u2019s what people expect, so that\u2019s the main goal,\u2019 he says. \u2018You need to watch what everyone around you is doing and you need to be sure that you\u2019re offering value for money, that\u2019s a big thing.<\/p>\n
\u2018We run promotions every week and we\u2019ve recently launched industry nights on Mondays for people who are working at the weekends. That gives them the chance of a night out and it does really well for us. It\u2019s in the very early stages, but I think it\u2019s going to grow.\u2019<\/p>\n
As for personal ambition, Glenn is like many of his colleagues that feature in this column, he would love to own his own place:<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019d like to open a small bar and restaurant, but it\u2019s all about the location, you need to be very aware of where you are opening up. Fifty per cent of those venues that close, do so in the first year and it\u2019s because of their location.<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m not really sure what I\u2019d like the place to look like though. I think you have to go with the trends and suppose it\u2019ll depend on what is popular when I get around to doing this.\u2019<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lcnonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/cobbles.jpg\")
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COBBLES SIGNATURE G&T<\/strong><\/p>\n Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n 35ml Sixling Cloudberry-Infused Irish Gin<\/p>\n 3 Raspberrys<\/p>\n 3 Blueberrys<\/p>\n Slice of Pink Grapefruit<\/p>\n London Essence Classic Tonic<\/p>\n 2 drops of Peychauds Aromatic Bitters<\/p>\n Edible flower for garnish<\/p>\n Method:<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a large balloon gin glass (chilled) and then add 35ml measure of our gin. Then add the raspberries, blueberries and a generous slice of pink grapefruit topped with tonic to your taste and garnish with some edible flowers. Perfect!<\/p>\n Originally from Carlingford, Glenn McShane spent the first eight years of his working life in a succession of kitchens around the island of Ireland, eventually<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":13534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,7],"tags":[139],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lcnonline.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIC-FOR-BOTTOM.jpg\")
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