Who remembers when I launched the blog section of the website at the beginning of 2020? I know, it feels like 3,502 years ago now. Lets face it, it’s been quite a year gang!!
Funnily enough blogging no longer remained a priority on the grand scheme of things. The website was mostly updated as a web shop and survival mode was firmly activated daily, weekly, monthly and generally all the damn time at every waking moment.
Your support has been nothing short of remarkable and if you follow The Dodo on social media then you know I make this point a lot - we wouldn’t have survived the Rona-Coaster without the Hanwell Massive! I’m eternally grateful for the community we’ve built and cannot wait for the day when I get to throw the giant thank you party I have imagined hopefully in my head when I’ve allowed myself to dream of that light at the end of the tunnel.
Here were some official words of thanks recently posted for anyone who missed it. I hope you all know how much I genuinely appreciate the rallying round this year. There have been many tears throughout the year but not all sad and angry ones. The happy tears from your overwhelming kindness are the ones that stick out the most.
From here on, this may not be a very interesting read I’m afraid as it is literally a list of ALL the ways we pivoted, showed up, hustled and survived the brutal challenge that was 2020! It’s quite extensive because we didn’t just adapt once when the first lockdown hit and we flipped to web shop mode offering takeaway and deliveries. No no! We continually adapted, launched new products and found new ways we could still be together (but apart) at every twist and turn this year offered!
We’ve been relentless and resilient so forgive me for just recording all the achievements in one long blog post dump. One day, when I’m less exhausted and have enough distance from the nightmare that was this year, I’m going to want to look back on this list and remember all these moments.
Realistically I’ll also more than likely be referring back to this list in January when I need the harsh reminder to self to take a damn break because I bloody deserve one!
The Year Of Unprecedented Times & Pivoting
Celebrated our 3rd Birthday end of January. Started the year full of hope & dreams...
Named Londonist’s Pub Of The Week in February.
Free Cheeseboard Sunday & Games Night continued.
Appeared on an expert Beer Panel at Brew LDN Festival hosted by Melissa Cole.
Obtained our spirits license.
Featured on the “What Have We Learnt?” podcast.
Continued to support Sourdough Tim’s bread business. Supporting local!
International Women’s Day collaboration brew! Best day ever!
Took part in The World’s Biggest Pub Quiz & raised money for Action Against Hunger.
Our first spirit offering was Ealing Gin. Proudly supporting local again!
Cancelled events - Malaysian Food Pop Up & Beer & Waffle Pairing as the Rona-Coaster seriously got going.
Decided to close in March with no idea if we’d return a few days before the PM officially closed pubs. Scary times.
Popped some vouchers online which you all bought by the bucket load to help us in our time of panic!
Got sad and bored of lockdown so put my first beer & cheese pairing video out to cheer myself up and stay connected to Dodo good times.
In April decided to open as a web shop offering takeaway & deliveries of decent craft booze. Brought a sense of normality to those shielding, isolating & staying home in lockdown.
This was the start of what would become a very long journey into packaging! So many boxes were made up! So much cardboard was recycled! So much beer, gin and other forms of booze were repackaged ready to go out!
Offered free Doodle Down The Dodo mindful colouring templates for anyone needing a spot of calm in their lives to help ease crazy times.
You all still met up for drinks via Zoom & used The Dodo as your backgrounds. Some even used The Dodo backdrop for work meetings!
Hanwell Massive paid it forward! Lots of you kept donating your purchased vouchers back to me / the business to pass on in random acts of kindness. A chain reaction of surprise beer deliveries, surprise web shop vouchers and donations to local charities was created!
Launched our Fake Cheeseboard Sunday Beer & Cheese Pairings to replicate our Free Cheeseboard Sundays at home.
Several solo hours of beer racking, venting, pouring and packing later…
Cooling unit broke! A temporary glitch in our takeaway & delivery offering. Almost breaking point.
Hosted a “Do-Do-n’t Go Out” Pub Quiz online because did you even survive 2020 without doing a zoom quiz?! Over 30 of you joined us for a giggle. You seemed to find my Farsi pronunciation extremely funny!
Merch Drop - T-Shirts! Over 70 of you snapped them up!
The Dodo of Hanwell gin launched in June! Worked with fab Charlotte Berridge on the label design!
Sold out of our first batch of gin in 1 hour, 4 minutes on a casual Wednesday morning. Legitimately thought 60 bottles would see us through the summer!
Batch number 2 of gin went out. Additional 150 bottles sold out in a week!
Featured on the “She Can. She Did.” podcast. A pinch me moment as I’ve been a huge fan for ages and Fi has interviewed some incredible female founders!
Interviewed for Al Jazeera News about not rushing to reopen on July 4th. The official date pubs could reopen.
Free gin giveaway as a way to say thanks to those who snapped up our first batch so quickly.
Fake Cheeseboard Sunday continues to be enjoyed at home.
Solitary confinement packaging continues. Tired of the struggle. Mental health break was required. Took a week off & went to Sussex to enjoy some micropubs that were open.
Featured on the illustrated cover of Indie Roller magazine all about community & collaboration.
Reopened for drinking in down The Dodo mid July & continued our delivery service for those still not ready to go out.
The Hanwell Massive are reunited and it felt so good!!!
Announced as winner of Ealing Pub of the Year 2020!
In person Free Cheeseboard Sunday returns! Slightly amended for covid safe fun times.
Discovered we were not only crowned the winner of Ealing Pub of The Year but the overall regional West Middlesex Pub of the Year too! I know, weird year to win pub of the year!
Retired our delivery service as demand dropped off with people returning to pubs & the Eat Out To Help Out scheme kind of obliterating our wet led business. Summer sunshine & people wanting to be outside in beer gardens and on sunny terraces was a huge challenge for reopening!
Interviewed for the Morning Advertiser about racism & diversity in the UK pub sector.
Batch number 3 of The Dodo of Hanwell gin released.
Accidentally started running Online Beer Tastings for corporate clients. Started to prove popular!
Mr Barrick’s Pies return down The Dodo. Still supporting independent & local.
Dark Beer & Doughnuts event in August with local business Little Pudding. Funny because apparently no one drinks dark beer in the summer! LOL!
Appeared on BBC Radio 4 discussing diversity (lack of) in the pub sector.
Hosted a Beer & Waffle Pairing event with Mad Yank Brewery. It was nice to have events again albeit stripped back for covid safety measure.
Pitzhanger X The Dodo Micropub Pop Up!! With just 24 hours to set up we popped up at Pitzhanger Manor for 2 long weekends in September taking over Soane’s kitchen! We brought the Hanwell Massive to Ealing & it was a triumph! There was food, Weird Beard, music from the Hanwell Hootie & it was the perfect last breath of summer before the Rona-Coaster reared its ugly head again!
Oh, batch 4 of our gin came to Pitzhanger with us.
We returned back to Hanwell with the first of what would become many rounds of restrictions in place for hospitality businesses.
Interviewed for BBC 5 LIVE about said restrictions affecting business.
Sad times again. Uncertainty again.
Enjoy-at-home Fake Cheeseboard Sunday Beer & Cheese Pairings return.
The Hanwell Massive continue to wow us with their support!!
Tier systems introduced. London in Tier 2 (no household mixing inside). The original Tier 2. Capacity reduced even further. We keep going until Tier 3 forces us to close.
Michael went on paternity leave. Our youngest Team Dodo member was born!
Merch Drop - Sweaters!
Made it into The CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2021! Our 3rd year in a row!
Lockdown 2.0. Forced closure for a month in November. Deliveries are back!
Merch Drop - Blue Beanies! Initial batch sold out in a few days. Reprint required!
Launched our enjoy at home Pie & Stout Pairing with Mr Barrick’s Pies! Sold out most of our releases featuring different stout and pie combos.
Web Shop is back! Takeaway & deliveries only return for Lockdown 2.0!
Sad & going mad (again) because after a challenging summer we were really looking forward to the winter months which is usually our time to shine.
Formally launched corporate Online Beer Tastings just in time for socially distanced Christmas party solutions.
New stricter tier system introduced. Goal posts moved. Forced to remain closed sadly. The debate of what constitutes a “substantial meal” was born. No one in parliament knew.
Featured on The Evening Standard’s The Leader podcast chatting about the new stricter tiers & general Rona-Coaster fun times.
Launched our cocktail in a box. The Dodo-ni. Our take on a classic negroni.
The era of online Christmas Parties has landed! Hosted online beer tastings for socially distanced fun times!
Launched our Winter Spiced Gin! Sold out of 79 bottles in half a day! Fab Charlotte Berridge on the design again obviously!
Insane that we’ve sold over 400 bottles of gin this year!
Still closed but now all pubs & restaurants must close due to London exiting Tier 3 and entering a new Tier 4. Emotionally exhausted but the show must go on.
Watched the premiere of a feature length micropub documentary I was featured in - Micropubs - The New Local. Was lovely to look back on previous years and the early days of The Dodo when business was exciting and thriving. Determined to get back to the good times!
Another mini batch of Dodo-ni cocktail boxes were released due to the first batch selling out!
Another gin giveaway as thanks to those who snapped up our Winter Spiced Gin so quickly!
Interview & photo shoot for Waitrose Magazine. Featured as one of their selected women in booze! Honoured!
The end of one hell of a year is in sight!
Officially done. Officially out of ideas & steam for now. Bring on some much needed rest and the return of precedented times in 2021!!
Just got to say if you made it this far then well bloody done! Recalling all these action points makes a long year seem even longer somehow!
It’s taken a hell of a lot of strength and stamina to keep up with all of this and lets not sugar coat things, there have been and continue to be many sleepless nights! To say I’m mentally exhausted is not an understatement. I’m often out cold asleep on the sofa at around 8pm taking an uncontrollable pre sleep nap and I’ve been caught off guard having a random cry on the way to / home from work.
With survival has come sacrifice but also so much clarity on the why behind the business. We will meet again Hanwell Massive! The good times will roll one day soon but for now I’m grateful for our community and the ability to take a (much needed) break to recharge the batteries ready to face whatever 2021 has in store!
Here’s to a happier new year all round!