Greene King has announced which of its beer gardens will be welcoming back their first punters in Suffolk and north Essex on April 12, when coronavirus restrictions are set to be further relaxed.
The brewery will be reopening just a third of its sites across England on Monday April 12, when the hospitality sector should be allowed to serve customers outside under the Government's "roadmap" out of lockdown.
Five pubs will be swinging open their garden gates, along with a further five in the north of Essex just over the border.
Customers will be able to enter the pubs to gain access to the outside area and to use the toilet.
Pubs open in Suffolk:
- Golf Hotel, Rushmere
- Royal George, Ipswich
- Rushbrooke Arms, Sicklesmere
- Spread Eagle, Bury St Edmunds
- Tollgate, Bury St Edmunds
Pubs open in north Essex:
- Kings Arms, Colchester
- Rovers Tye, Colchester
- Roaring Donkey, Holland-On-Sea
- Yew Tree, Great Horkesley
- Duke of Wellington, Hatfield Peverel
Some pubs will have reduced opening hours and menus, and this information along with how to book, will be updated on individual pubs’ websites over the coming days.
Nick Mackenzie, Greene King chief executive, said: “It’s great that we can finally open outdoor areas in some of our pubs after such a long period of lockdown and we can’t wait to start welcoming our customers back, safely.
“Sadly, we can only open around a third of our estate in April where we have outdoor space that will work and have a chance of being viable, but we know the vital role pubs play in communities and feel it’s important to open as many as we can to help people get back together once again.
“We look forward to May when we can open many more of our pubs, and the all-important return to normality in June when the restrictions are fully removed, and we can start to rebuild our businesses.
"Until then, we all have our fingers crossed for sunshine and warm temperatures in April!”
A number of other pubs are also hoping to open on April 12 in Suffolk, with more than 45 named on this list.
However, not all landlords are planning to reopen their beer gardens as they are concerned their business will not be viable.
Landlady Sharon Shipp, of The Chestnut Horse pub in Great Finborough, said she won't be rushing to reopen her pub garden on April 12 as she thinks it could "make or break her" business.
If you know of a pub which is hoping to open on April 12, let us know here.
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