Pub in Reading celebrates milestone 10th anniversary

The Greyfriar pub opened up in February 2014 and has become known as a staple for ale drinkers ever since.

Recently, the popular venue won an award as one of the best pubs and bars in Reading on Small Business Saturday last December. This month, the pub team is celebrating making it to 10 years of pulling pints and serving the local community.

Manager Tori Yates said: “We were really delighted to win the award because it was voted for by the public, and it was just very gratifying to know that the public really appreciate what we do here.

“It makes all the hard work really worthwhile. It gives you the impetus to keep going because it is hard [for pubs] at the moment.”

Explaining the appeal of the pub, Tori said: “We try all the time to encourage people to come in, we do tap takeovers with breweries which people really enjoy and meet the brewer events.

“We’re constantly trying to come up with events and fun things, engaging with our customers and the local brewing community. I think that’s why people like us.”

The pub prides itself on its local offerings with stock from breweries including Phantom, Elusive, Double Barrelled, Siren Craft Brew, Loddon, Windsor and Eton and Ascot breweries as well.

READ MORE: Siren Craft Brew set to open first bar in Reading town centre

Tori, who started work at The Greyfriar in 2018, said: “We primarily stock local products, we try and support other small local independent businesses.

“I think our customers like that, they like that we can get local beers here. We don’t have anything mainstream on at all, because we can’t compete price point-wise with places like Wetherspoons.”

Staff at The Greyfriar pub in Greyfriars Road, Reading winner of the pubs and bars award competition held by Matt Rodda, the Labour MP for Reading East for Small Business Saturday. Credit: Office of Matt Rodda MP

The pub hosts entertainment to provide more of an experience for punters including sports on the TV, a popular fortnightly quiz, and events including a Repair Cafe being staged on Sunday, February 18, where people can get repairs for electronics, mechanics, toys, clothing and other items.

The team say this has been vital to bucking the trend that has seen all too many valued local pubs close.

Tori said : “It [the pub] was opened as a craft ale and gin bar, and things were going quite well, and then Covid happened.

“We do cheeseboards and snacks but no kitchen, even when you had to have a meal to have a pub open we had to stay closed.

“We were actually closed for a total of about 14 months. It was quite difficult reopening, and since then there has been the cost of living crisis. Hospitality is not an easy trade at the moment.”

Pubs in Reading still face a difficult trading environment, with The Weather Station at The Eldon Arms closing in August 2022, The Jolly Anglers closing in 2023, and The Lyndhurst set for a closure this year as the landlords move on.

Tori added: “Some of the prices have gone crazy in the last year, products have gone up 30 per cent, but we can’t put our prices up 30 per cent – we’d be costing ourselves out of the market.

“So you’ve got to shop around a lot, try and get some good deals. You’ve got to absorb costs where you can.”

The Greyfriars pub itself used to be the Tudor Arms and the Malthouse before its takeover by Assets Group.

A picture of the Malthouse in Greyfriars Road, which was previously the Tudor Arms and has been The Greyfriar pub since 2014 in Reading town centre. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Commenting on how the pub manages in an area with little footfall and the nearby building works at Station Hill development, Tori said: “It is tricky because there is all this building work going on so sometimes the road is closed off.

“There’s been the two fires which were both very close to us, things like that have an impact and there’s nothing you can do about it.

READ MORE: Latest on investigations after huge Station Hill fire

“There are offices nearby which is brilliant and we get some good loyal trade from the people there, and I think the after-work trade has started to come back a bit more in recent times which is great to see.”

The manager also said the pub is ‘lucky’ to be well-positioned for football fans hopping on the bus to and from the stadium.

She added: “We get good trade on football days, we get a lot of loyal Reading home fans who come in here, it’s their pub they like coming to.

“These days you have to give people a reason to come to you. In the old days, pubs could just open their doors and that would be enough, but these days you’ve got to work really hard to get people in.”

Expressing her hopes for the future, Tori said: “We’ve had a good 10 years, it would be great to do another 10 years. I’d love to continue to working with as many local independent suppliers as well, trying to give people somewhere in Reading where they can get something a bit different.”