Landmark Plymouth pub closes as custom tails off
A PROMINENT pub and restaurant on Plymouth's seafront has closed down suddenly amid a drop in custom.
The Waterfront has shut "for good", staff at the West Hoe venue said yesterday – just 18 months after it reopened.
City businessman Chris Evans and his family had pumped what he previously described as a "sizeable" amount of money into revamping the iconic waterside building, which had fallen into disrepair after its previous landlord pulled the plug in 2009.
Local landlords and industry leaders blamed cheap supermarket booze and crippling taxes and levies for the loss of the "flagship" venue.
They fear The Waterfront is simply the latest casualty, as shock Government figures revealed there had been nearly 400 pub closures in Plymouth alone over the past decade.
Mr Evans has been unavailable for comment, but is understood to be set to formally leave today.
Yesterday afternoon staff were removing furniture, decorations and pots and pans from the restaurant's kitchen.
One senior employee told The Herald: "It's just not been busy enough."
Workmen were also at the site, which appeared to be in the process of being stripped of much of its interior.
A spokeswoman for St Austell Brewery, which owns the building, said the closure had come "out of the blue".
But the company was already in talks with potential new landlords, she added.
The spokeswoman said: "We know that the leasees are leaving [today]. Obviously we would wish to keep it open, and we are currently in negotiations with people that may continue to run the business with us."
Previous landlord Steve Bowen was £130,000 out of pocket when he pulled out in 2009, blaming the recession, a poor summer and an expensive brewery tie.
Mr Evans, who owns the nearby Coffee Shack, bought the lease in July 2010 and, at the time, employed 18 people.
Tam Macpherson, chairman of Stakeholders in Hospitality Licensed Retail, said: "This is such a prestige destination and a pub that offered a fine dining and wine bar experience right on our foreshore.
"If somewhere like that can't survive it shows you just how hard it is out there.
"It's not a question of when the next one will go, it's a question of who it will be – and it's about time local and national Government stepped in to support the hospitality trade."
Mick McDonnell, landlord of Millbay's Mount Pleasant and chairman of the City Safe scheme, said: "When you've got landmark pubs closing down it is a sad day for the city.
"The Waterfront is pretty much a flagship pub of Plymouth and if they're not able to trade what does that mean for the small pubs on the corner?
"There will be a lot more closures to come. The great British pub is under threat."
49 Comments
View all
by MidlandAmigos
Thursday, March 08 2012, 11:22PM
“Just returning to the city to find this venue suddenly closed is very sad. Unlike Portsmouth, Plymouth had little in the way of harbourside pubs or restaurants with an open view of the main shippling lane at sea level until The Waterfront was opened. We had found the staff helpful, particularly toward disabled folk. The food, originally expensive with obscene sized portions, was more recently trimmed in both size and price but top quality and good value. We wish the workers well and mourn the loss of a great venue.”
by MidlandAmigos
Thursday, March 08 2012, 11:16PM
“Just returning to the city to find this venue suddenly closed is very sad. Unlike Portsmouth, Plymouth had little in the way of harbourside pubs or restaurants with an open view of the main shippling lane at sea level until The Waterfront was opened. We had found the staff helpful, particularly toward disabled folk. The food, originally expensive with obscene sized portions, was more recently trimmed in both size and price but top quality and good value. We wish the workers well and mourn the loss of a great venue.”
by bob_baty
Friday, February 24 2012, 1:01PM
“The developers will be waiting in the shadows, rubbing their hands together and drooling at the prospect of some prime waterfront land.”
by ali46
Thursday, February 23 2012, 10:09PM
“this is an amazing venue PCC should seriously reduce the business rates and sort out the parking, I have been there many time since the new ownership and cannot fault the service in any way. this is down to PCC ,not cheap booze in the supermarkets,give them a break for 5 years and some deal on parking.....this is not the first new business that has folded after a good start due to increases in rates”
by ClaireTeach
Thursday, February 23 2012, 8:59PM
“I've tried the the waterfront quite a bit as its a lovely location and you can possibly get a parking spot and its far enough away from the loutish barbican. However, the food was always expensive, average and it just felt cold with no atmosphere.
A shame, but it needs a complete new lease of life.”
by MagicalOne
Thursday, February 23 2012, 8:42PM
“Would make a great gay venue , we desperately need a decent gay nightspot in Plymouth .”
by ladydorothea
Thursday, February 23 2012, 12:03AM
“The sad truth is that the Waterfront Pub/Restaurant has been badly managed since the mid 90s. The place needs to be given a new lease of life, with the emphasis on good fresh local produce and seafood. There are plenty of successful restaurants and gastro pubs and they are successful because they provide quality and excellent service. I don't believe St Austell Breweries are the right landlords. It needs new investers with vision and drive and a passion for good food.
I have not eaten there since the mid nineties, and as I've had such poor feedback from friends who have been in the Waterfront in recent months. The long list of negative reports were enough to pursuade me to take my custom to my tried and trusted favourites and the excellent new restaurants opening around Plymouth.”
by paulmh66
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 5:49PM
“Just like many of the "gastropubs" forced into over pricing food and drinks, just to break even if they are lucky.”
by Jannerbloke
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 5:46PM
“If St Austell Brewery are going to hang on to it but not charge a viable rent then they should pit in a manager with a bit of capital spending and some work on the inside. They should bear the loss or take the profit. If they want to do good food they need a decent chef. I have no catering experience but have eaten in some successful pubs and restaurants where a well selected fresh snack menu can make everyone happy and turn a huge profit and where a good chef with an evolving seasonal menu with a few good options can also make money. There would be a constant good reason to come down here if there was even a 50/50 chance of a good meal. The Evans operation sold very poor food and even that was expensive inconsistent and served slowly by indifferent often rude staff.”
by PCCwatcher
Wednesday, February 22 2012, 3:25PM
“"IGNORRANT man"
....sweet irony.....”