The Chap Tap, as it is affectionately known, was established in 2018 and opened its doors for the first time in late September last year. This followed a hectic six weeks of renovation that included the demolition of the existing toilets and rebuild, the bar being put in place from scratch and a full décor job inside and out.
The micropub is co-owned by Darrell Johnson and Richard Colton. The initial idea came from Darrell’s friend Jason Thompson, who opened Guzzle at Woodseats in 2017 (a nice place to visit also). The conversations started to turn into plans and the search was on to find the perfect venue. After three months of viewings and research, a Network Rail arch that looks onto the roundabout in Chapeltown had become available, viewed and signed up for!
Both Darrell and Richard successfully passed their own personal licences and plans were then submitted for A4 status at the Arch, which was dutifully granted by Sheffield City Council with a handful of conditions. The final hurdle was the premises licence; there was plenty of paperwork to be done here, but again this was granted by SCC in early August 2018 following the nerve-wracking 28-day window for any opposition. The notification from the council triggered that six-week renovation, and friends and family mucked in to meet all of the deadlines and milestones.
Following a detailed recruitment process, the doors were open for the first time on Monday 24 September for a friends and family night, followed by a VIP night on the Tuesday for local Chapeltown businesses. The Monday “soft launch” was intentional to iron out any teething problems prior to our first weekend, however, we did not appreciate just how overwhelmingly well the new venture would be received.
Fast forward six months and many lessons have been learned. We now have CAMRA discount night on Mondays, have had themed quizzes on Tuesdays (80’s and 90’s nights going down particularly well), live entertainment on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons as well as free YAPAS (pork pie and sausage rolls) on Friday and Saturday lunchtimes.
We strive to procure all of our stock from the Yorkshire area, ales, cans, a rotating keg line, gins even bar snacks to keep the local economy thriving. For more information on what’s happening at The Chap Tap, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages which is regularly updated. We have a great transport network in Chapeltown, trains are just a 10-minute ride from the town centre, we hope to see you soon at The Chap Tap!
Darrell Johnson
Both Darrell and Richard successfully passed their own personal licences and plans were then submitted for A4 status at the Arch, which was dutifully granted by Sheffield City Council with a handful of conditions. The final hurdle was the premises licence; there was plenty of paperwork to be done here, but again this was granted by SCC in early August 2018 following the nerve-wracking 28-day window for any opposition. The notification from the council triggered that six-week renovation, and friends and family mucked in to meet all of the deadlines and milestones.
Following a detailed recruitment process, the doors were open for the first time on Monday 24 September for a friends and family night, followed by a VIP night on the Tuesday for local Chapeltown businesses. The Monday “soft launch” was intentional to iron out any teething problems prior to our first weekend, however, we did not appreciate just how overwhelmingly well the new venture would be received.
Fast forward six months and many lessons have been learned. We now have CAMRA discount night on Mondays, have had themed quizzes on Tuesdays (80’s and 90’s nights going down particularly well), live entertainment on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons as well as free YAPAS (pork pie and sausage rolls) on Friday and Saturday lunchtimes.
We strive to procure all of our stock from the Yorkshire area, ales, cans, a rotating keg line, gins even bar snacks to keep the local economy thriving. For more information on what’s happening at The Chap Tap, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages which is regularly updated. We have a great transport network in Chapeltown, trains are just a 10-minute ride from the town centre, we hope to see you soon at The Chap Tap!
Darrell Johnson