Punters have shared their thoughts on what would make a success of The Horns after its latest management change.

After suddenly shutting last week, owner Stonegate announced that it will be coming back soon “with a fresh direction under new management”.

It comes after closing in both 2022 and 2023, when the then-management labelled it “unsustainable”, and its most recent managers only taking over at the end of December.

Watford Observer: The Horns.The Horns. (Image: Newsquest)

With Hempstead Road venue being part of the Watford nightlife furniture, residents want to see it made a success but it does appear under threat.

When the Watford Observer asked readers what they want to see to get them back in, some thought that the range of food and drink on offer needed expanding.

Offering food was a common suggestion from readers including Catherine Baldwin, who says she used to enjoy lunches there in its's heyday. 

People highlighted that gastropubs have become more popular in recent years, especially as margins on beer tighten.

Offering coffee in the day and tapas in the evening was Croxley resident Judy Stansell's suggestion. 

"I would go there then," she added.

A real ale fan said that he would like to see it widen the range of drink on offer to pull a new crowd.

Watford Observer: The Horns.The Horns. (Image: Newsquest)

With live music central to the pub’s identity, this side of the offering was another area picked out for improvement to make it appeal to “different groups of people on different days”.

Some called generally for “decent bands” while one reader, Lloyd Roberts, compared it to St Alban’s popular and similarly named venue The Horn.

He felt that the “diverse gig roster” on offer there helps it pull in people from a wider age-range, which The Horns could benefit from.

Watford Observer: The Horns.The Horns. (Image: Newsquest)

Of course, it is easy to say what should be done from the outside and harder to implement it.

It was highlighted that the bar had a refurb just at the start of this year, therefore it was claimed it “was never given a chance” to succeed with outside pressures making life tough.

“If only life was that simple and effective everything in life would be so simple,” said Shaneece Davidson, who worked in The Horns as her first job, in response to some suggestions.