New tenant found for pub that took bookings while closed
The Badingham White Horse, which is set to reopen with new tenants - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
The future of a popular village pub that closed down while still taking customer bookings is looking bright again after a tenant was found to take over.
The White Horse at Badingham shut its doors in November, leaving a message on the pub’s website saying the closure was ‘for a short period of time, due to unforeseen circumstances and staff shortages.’
However, customers were still able to book rooms and meals at the 15th century inn and took to the website Trip Advisor to vent their frustrations that they had arrived to find the premises locked up and nobody around to help them.
Now the business is set to start trading again as new tenants have been found and are set to move in at the end of the month.
The Badingham White Horse was still taking bookings after closing - Credit: Sarah Lucy Brown
Simon Jackaman, divisional director for specialist leisure estate agents Fleurets, said the new tenant was a pub company looking to add to its portfolio in Norfolk and Suffolk.
He said: “They are a local company. They do operate about six dining pubs in the county and they are taking this one on in order to add it to their portfolio. They are well established with an excellent reputation for food and drink in the county.”
The name of the company will be revealed once all the documents for the tenancy have been completed, but Mr Jackaman said there had been eight offers for the tenancy and a ‘tremendous amount of interest.’
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He added: “It will be great for the people in the area. It will go on a new journey, a new chapter, but if anything, it will be better than it was before.”
In February, the EADT reported customers’ disgust that they had booked, but not been informed the pub had closed, with one demanding a refund for her money and exploring avenues to reclaim the cash.
A Trip Advisor reviewer called ‘Nikki T’ said: “Disgusting. Night’s stay booked for a 50th celebration. Drove two hours to see pub and accommodation all locked up. Called numerous times yet booking.com still advertising it. Impressed? I’m certainly not.”
