Paul Reagan of Colton has taken the lease of the Inn on the Green at Acomb, and will be running it with wife Nicky.
The 59-year has replaced Lyndsay and Stuart Weston, who left the pub trade after decades of service, to work for Ainsty Ales, where Stuart was already the brewer.
Paul was born in Bradford and for a time was a professional motorbike racer, though his trade is engineer and gas engineer.
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He also built and ran a gin bar in Saltaire, near Bradford, before the pandemic, before moving to the York area 4-5 years ago.
Paul has bought the lease from Thwaites brewery, explaining he originally wanted to take charge of the Inn on the Green last year. But he was busy working and the Westons snapped it up instead.
“When it came up again, I knew it was meant to be,” he told the Press.
“I know the area pretty well. I used to drink in Acomb, at the Crooked Tap on the odd occasion.”
(Image: pic supplied)
The Inn on the Green re-opened last September after being closed for some months, during which it underwent a major refurbishment.
However, the Westons decided it was time to retire from running pubs, also citing the harsh economics of such work.
“The staff have stayed, which is excellent,” Paul continued.
Paul intends to build on the good work of the Westons, with some changes of his own.
In the beer garden at the back, he plans to install a cocktail bar and pizza oven, and erect individual beach huts with private seating.
There will also be a stage, with live music, especially on a Sunday between 2pm and 8pm offer soul and Motown.
Inside, he plans a couple of log-burners to “make it cosy and warm.”
Paul continued: “Obviously, we will have pub food, Sunday lunch and roasts, steak nights, quiz nights.”
The Spanish tapas and small plates, launched by Lyndsay to much popular acclaim, will also be offered.
There will be guest ales, including Ainsty Ales, plus plenty of gins and whisky.
But Paul is also keen to hear what customers want to see at the venue, which is also dog friendly, with treats for them on the bar.
It was early Thursday evening, the first night and ‘soft opening,’ when the Press called. One couple sat in corner by a portrait of Winston Churchill said their careers meant they cannot be identified. But they were pleased the pub had remained open.
“It’s our local,” said the husband, with the wife adding: “We are looking forward to the plans Paul has for the food.”
An elderly customer also declined to be identified. He called it ‘great news’ the pub was carrying on, adding it serves “the best Guinness in York.”
