The Goat on Carshalton Road in Mitcham has been taken on by South London licensees, Wing Yip and Mansi Patel and is to be transformed into a family pub and restaurant to be called The Crown & Pepper.
The pub is the licensees’ second site with Star, the first being The Crown & Pepper in Bromley.
The pub is to close on the 18th June for five weeks for a £250k refurbishment and will create eight new jobs when it reopens due to the increased focus on food.
While food will be the major feature of the pub, drinkers and sports enthusiasts will be well catered for. Eight new 50” flat TV screens showing live Sky and BT sports are being installed. Cocktails are being introduced along with a good range of single malt whiskies and premium spirits and great cask, draught and bottled ciders and beers.
The menu will be different to any other pub in the area and include a fusion of Indian and Chinese dishes ideal for family and group sharing, alongside traditional pub classics such as fish and chips, steaks and burgers. Real coffee will be available throughout the day for the first time and the wi-fi improved.
Funds are being spent upgrading the pub inside and out. The overall traditional pub character will be retained and decorated in burgundy and cream colours with new comfortable furniture and soft furnishings added. The wooden floors will be restored, new carpets fitted throughout and the toilets replaced and redecorated. The overall effect will be lighter and more spacious and inviting. There will be a separate bar and dining area with snacks available in the bar area. A new commercial kitchen is being installed to enable the pub to cater for more diners.
Outside, The Crown & Pepper at Mitcham will be repainted in black and cream including new signage and lighting. The large carpark will be resurfaced providing parking for 60 cars. The gated pub garden will be re-lawned and security lighting installed to give parents peace of mind when children are playing outside. During the summer months, Wing and Mansi plan to have a bouncy castle to keep children entertained while parents relax.
Mansi will manage the pub on a day-to-day basis and said: “It’s exciting to be opening a pub which is different to any other in the area – offering affordable Asian food alongside traditional pub favourites. The pub is in a great location next to the common and has lots of parking so is ideal for family, work and friends get togethers, whether to watch sport or have a fun meal out. We could see the potential the moment we saw The Goat and can’t wait to turn it around and broaden its appeal as we did with The Crown & Pepper in Bromley.”
Tim Galligan, operations director, Star Pubs & Bars said: “The Crown & Pepper in Bromley consistently gets high rankings online which is a testament to the great job Wing an Mansi have done turning around a previously troubled pub. We wish them every success in their new venture.”