At Britannia Arms, the customer is king

By Candy Richter
Staff Writer

After sixteen years on Almaden Expressway, The Britannia Arms - known simply as ”The Brit” to many locals - can easily lay claim to being the community’s best-known pub based on longevity alone. But another thing altogether to be regarded as one of the community’s best loved.

In a business where fluctuation is the name of the game, The Britannia Arms has weathered the years because of one simple fact; making the customer, and therefore the community, feel right at home.

According to owner and proprietor, John McKay, a 28-year resident of Almaden, His first taste of a community-oriented establishment came with his foray as manager of a Berryessa-based Mountain Mike’s Pizzeria. “We were very involved,” said McKay. We sponsored Little League teams, soccer, marching bands – all sorts of groups. There’s a real benefit to being involved with the community. We get to give back, and the community gets to know us better.”

Rather serendipitously, it was just one month after McKay’s Mountain Mike’s closed that The Britannia Arms in Cupertino opened its doors. As a native Scotsman, McKay was very familiar with the friendly atmosphere of a traditional pub and along with business partners Mike North and former Sharks player Owen Nolan, wanted to recreate that same environment close to home in Almaden.

“A pub is a community gathering place,” described McKay. “A place to meet people, watch sports, or listen to music – to feel at home.”

Achieving that “something for everyone” feeling has been a large part of The Britannia Arm’s secret for success. In addition to a full bar complete with British ales, malts and “on tap” hard ciders, and their eclectic “pub fare” menu, The Britannia Arms offers a variety of entertainment options that range from Trivial Tuesdays and Karaoke, to live music on Thursdays through Saturdays, and one of the widest selections of televised sports competitions in the San Jose area. “We have 14 televisions and each has a dedicated decoder,” said McKay. “We get every sport imaginable. College, NFL, NBA, Hockey and all the soccer games from Europe.”

When he opened the Britannia Arms in 1986, McKay brought his commitment to the community along with his experience, and has not only supported adult league sports teams in soccer, softball and hockey, but has established Britannia Arms as a venue for up-and-coming local bands as well.

“There are very few live music venues available to local groups in this area,” said McKay. “We used to have ‘open mic’ nights where groups could come up and perform, so I got to know many of the local musicians. Now, I get CD’s all the time. I like to go out and hear [a group] play, and if they sound good, I’ll bring them in.”

But what most captures the essence of “family” that the Britannia Arms has achieved is the annual trek of many “regulars” to the pub on the day following Thanksgiving. “During that time people are coming home to visit and we always get groups that come here to meet up with old friends,” explained McKay. “That is what a pub is supposed to be, and extension of your living room, a place where you can come and be comfortable.”