Jay Ford ready for customers to punch in at Work Pub and Eatery in Stratford

Jay Ford is back at work.

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The longtime Boar’s Head manager, whose family ran the popular pub and Queen’s Inn for nearly 30 years before retiring last January, briefly left the industry he’d worked in since the 1990s.

Ford returned Friday when Work Pub and Eatery in downtown Stratford opened its doors to customers.

“Being involved in an amazing city like Stratford for so many years in the hospitality business, I tried to step away for a little bit,” he said. “I missed it so much and decided it was a great thing to do with my family. I’ve always appreciated this city and everyone in it, and I love the business.”

It took a month in the summer for Ford to figure out his future. He explored other avenues, but all roads led him back to the business he knew best. Support from his family made the decision an easy one.

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“I still missed being out in public and talking to customers,” he said. “It made me want to come back and do something like this.”

The last 36 days were a whirlwind as Ford and his family transformed the former Whatever 75 restaurant on Wellington Street into an “English-style pub with a hometown feel.”

But there was no shortage of help. Ford’s wife Michelle and their kids, Jacob, Ben, Kenzie, Jaida and Emmy, spent hours prepping for the pub’s opening, and a small army of friends was always on hand.

“Anything we needed, they were ready to jump in and help,” Michelle Ford said. “We wouldn’t have gotten it done without them. There was so much to do.”

One of those was coming up with a name for the new establishment. Ford thought back to a conversation he years ago had with a bartender who suggested a pub called Work.

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“That stuck with me for a lot of years,” he said, “’I’m heading to work.’ And that’s how it worked out. We’re pretty excited.”

Now Ford is ready for customers to punch in any time between 11:30 am and 11 pm, seven days a week, to enjoy a pint, a bite or some live music.

They’ll see many familiar faces on staff and an owner who’s not ready to call it quits on an industry he loves.

“I appreciate the business and love greeting people at the door,” he said. “I love when they leave and they’re happy and full and they enjoyed their stay here with our family. I want to treat this like their living room away from home.

“I’m excited for people to check out what we’ve done.”

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