Great pubs, good people, proper neighbourhood vibes.
OUR STORY
Dodo started in 2009 with four friends, one tired old boozer in East Oxford and no grand plan to build a pub company.
The place needed a proper amount of love, so we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck into a hands-on renovation. We might not have known everything about running a pub, but we knew the kind of place we wanted to create. So we kept things simple: products we were proud of, genuine hospitality and plenty of good vibes.
It didn’t take long for the neighbourhood to take us to heart. Slowly but surely, the pub started to fill up, the beers were flowing and it became clear that people needed something decent to eat alongside their pints.
An ancient four-ring electric hob got us started. A proper kitchen soon followed.
That first pub taught us something we still believe today: great pubs are built through relationships, not transactions.
FROM ONE LOCAL TO A FAMILY OF PUBS
The Rusty Bicycle was never meant to be the beginning of a big plan. But it showed us what a proper neighbourhood pub could be: warm, characterful, full of life and genuinely part of its community.
Since then, Dodo has grown into a collection of pubs across Oxford, Cheltenham, Reading, Witney, Bristol and Newbury. Each one has its own name, building, regulars, quirks and local story. No two are quite the same, and we like it that way.
What they do share is a simple ambition: to be the best pub in the neighbourhood.
Not the biggest. Not the flashiest. Just the pub people are proud to call their local.
FOOD, DRINK, EVENTS AND GOOD TIMES
As we’ve grown, so has what we do.
Our passion for great food, drink and genuine hospitality runs through everything we do. Whatever we’re serving, we care about doing a proper job; from the ingredients and suppliers we work with to the pint that lands on the bar.
We’re incredibly proud of our menus. Whether it’s our pizzas and burgers, feasting menus or a proper Sunday lunch, it’s food we genuinely enjoy serving.
But a great local is about more than what we serve. Our pubs have their own regular rhythm of quizzes, live sport, Sunday sessions and events; alongside our street parties and community events.
Some are big, lively places built for a crowd. Others are cosy neighbourhood boozers. Each has its own character, its own regulars and its own way of bringing people together; but the same care and standards run through them all.
The shape changes from pub to pub, but the idea stays the same: create places where people can celebrate, connect, relax and feel part of something.
BUILT BY GREAT PEOPLE
Great pubs are built by great people.
We’re a hands-on, hard-working and people-powered business. From the bar and kitchen to our managers and support team, it’s our people who bring the personality, warmth and genuine hospitality that make each Dodo pub what it is.
We hire for attitude, train for skill and take real pride in promoting from within. Through our in-house training pathways, we give people the skills, support and opportunities to keep progressing. Many of our managers and leaders have grown their careers through Dodo, and we want the next generation to do the same.
Our 12-week paid internship programme gives young people the chance to experience hospitality first-hand, building the skills and confidence they need to kick-start a successful career in the industry.
As Dodo grows, we want our people to grow with us; taking on new challenges, helping shape new pubs and always taking pride in doing a proper job.
Because ultimately, it’s our people who create pubs that communities are proud to call their local.
As we grow, we want our people to grow with us too; taking on new challenges, helping shape new pubs and always taking pride in doing a proper job.
Because ultimately, it’s our people who create pubs that communities are proud to call their local.
STILL DOING THINGS THE DODO WAY
More than seventeen years on, we’re still guided by the same things that shaped that first pub in East Oxford: great hospitality, great people and great pubs.
We’re not interested in copy-and-paste venues. We’re here to build pubs with personality, shaped by their neighbourhoods and brought to life by the teams inside them.
That’s the Dodo way: good vibes, a proper job and one team pulling together.
Come and find your local.