Operators Rodger Scotton and Justine McKenzie have taken on their second pub with Greene King Pub Partners, The Royal Oak in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.
The pub, which had previously been closed for two years in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened after a £230,000 transformation by Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise business unit of Greene King.
It will be the third hospitality business run by partners Rodger Scotton and Justine McKenzie, who also run The Slepe Hall Hotel in St Ives and The Windmill pub in the nearby village of Somersham, which they have operated in partnership with Greene King for the last 15 years.
The Royal Oak is one of the oldest pubs in St Ives and is full of charm and character. The £230,000 makeover of the pub has therefore retained this charm, while bringing it in line with more modern trends and tastes.
Inside, interior designers and decorators have significantly upgraded the pub with all-new seating, including booth seating, a new paint scheme, and fixtures and fittings including new lighting, pictures and other decorations.
The bathroom facilities in the pub have also been majorly upgraded and a number of open fireplaces within the pub have been revamped too in order to create a cosy environment.
Outside, the pub has had a full external redecoration scheme including new signage to showcase to passers-by its makeover inside.
The pub will specialise in serving a range of craft lagers and ales, which will include showcase ales and lagers from small brewers across the UK on a rotational basis. To compliment this, the pub will serve ‘pub charcuterie’ including cheeseboards and ploughman’s lunches.
Phil Arnold, Operations Director for Greene King Pub Partners, said:
“We are delighted to see the Royal Oak re-open and back to its best after two years of closure. This is thanks to our £230,000 investment in the pub which has transformed it into a modern pub perfect for the people of St Ives to enjoy.
“We are really pleased as well to be operating the pub with Rodger and Justine, expanding our 15 year partnership with them. They are the perfect operators for this pub as they are local and successfully run hospitality businesses in the area already.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
About Greene King:
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Wacky Warehouse, and Pub & Carvery, Pub & Dining and Pub & Grill
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
About Greene King Pub Partners:
Greene King Pub Partners operates over 1000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs across England, Scotland and Wales with independent business partners. In March 2023 it was recognised as the best leased and tenanted pub company at the Publican Awards, the 6th time Greene King Pub Partners has won the national industry award.
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
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