A Nottinghamshire pub has temporarily closed for a makeover by the new owners. The Lurcher in Rainworth was acquired by Pub People Co., a Derbyshire-based company which operates over 40 pubs across the East Midlands including The Lion at Basford, Six Barrels in Nottingham city centre and the Hop Pole in Chilwell.
The takeover happened in November and trade so far has been good. Managing director Andrew Crawford said: "We acquired the pub from an independent operator. We have been delighted as to how it has traded through Christmas and into the new year.
"The pub receives a huge amount of support from the local community with numerous local clubs and societies associated with it."
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Whilst standards in the pub, in Westbrook Drive, have been kept high, Mr Crawford said the decor was a little dated and deserved a refurbishment. Last week outside was give a facelift to create an attractive illuminated seating area for customers.
The kitchen has already been upgraded and a new home-cooked food menu was tested in the past two months. It will be fully launched after reopening on Sunday, March 9.
"The Sunday roasts have already proven to be exceptionally popular," said Mr Crawford.
As well as new decoration, carpets and furniture The Lurcher will have a bigger range of cask ales showcasing local brewers that have proved popular in Pub People's other venues such as Pheasantry, Blue Monkey, Castle Rock, Lenton Lane, Black Iris and Welbeck.
Up until 2019 the pub had been owned by popular landlord Liam Casey, who died just after Christmas that year. He had just become a father four weeks beforehand to daughter Athena and the 6ft 'gentle giant' had only been married six months.
The 40-year-old passed away in his sleep. His wife Alicja carried on running the business until the Pub People Co. took over.
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