Torquay – Yates
Photos from my old phone, so once again apologies about the quality. I’m not posting these visits in the order that we visited them which isn’t very purist of me. This is the former JD Wetherspoon outlet, the London Inn, which they closed in 2016 and it was taken over by Yates. They do have another pub in the town, the Green Ginger, although I suspect from seeing how busy that one is that there’s still potential for them to justify opening another. It’s now operated by Stonegate and is one of their Craft Union bars.
I’m not sure, but I think it’s the white building in the bottom centre-right in the above image. This is a grand Georgian building that was once the Royal Hotel (between 1833 to 1997), which replaced the London Inn (the name that JD Wetherspoon brought back) in the early nineteenth century. It was named the Royal in honour of a visit in 1833 by Princess Victoria, later Queen Victoria. She was so delighted by her visit to Torquay that she never visited again. The visit she did make was slightly sub-optimal as there was a boot-maker with the surname of Dart who was so excited to see the Princess that he broke the cordon to give her a pair of boots. A member of the coastguard stabbed him in the eye with his bayonet, although to be fair, the Duchess of Kent (the mother of Victoria) felt a bit guilty about this and paid for his medical expenses and some annual funding since he was half-blinded.
The bar area and I was surprised how large the venue was and how quiet it was. There was a sign on the door saying that they no longer have a food menu available, so they’re having to make all their money from drinks sales. I was quite amused by the press release from Yates about their investment here in the summer of 2024:
“Exterior and Interior Décor: The pub has undergone minor exterior decorative works to create a fresh and inviting look. Inside, various areas have been redecorated to provide a clean and welcoming atmosphere throughout.
Enhanced Amenities: To cater to our customers’ love for games, we’ve added a new pool table and a darts board at the rear of the pub. This provides a perfect setting for friendly competitions.
Bar Area Improvements: The main bar area has been revamped by removing the overbars to improve visibility and accessibility for customers. The back fitting has also been updated, allowing Tracie to showcase premium products more effectively.
Viewing Experience: Already benefiting from good quality viewing areas, Yates Torquay now features additional large TVs in the rear area, enhancing the viewing experience for all our patrons.”
In short, they’ve done some painting, shoved in a pool table, removed the overbars to make drink service slower and installed a TV. I thought this sounded like a £5k investment, but apparently Stonegate spent £97,000 on all this work.
They do have a menu from a nearby third party venue to at least have some choice as Craft Union pubs don’t usually offer food. A few reviewers have said that they also allow customers to bring their own food and takeaways in. They allow dogs in as well, which perhaps takes some trade away from Wetherspoons who don’t allow them as part of a national policy, albeit one which I’ve long considered to be entirely sensible for what it’s worth.
The John Smiths was cheap at under £3 a pint and it tasted as it’s meant to. The beer range consisted of standard national brands, although there were a few real ales available.
I remembers Yates in Norwich and that was back in around 2001 when they were growing quickly and starting to rival JD Wetherspoons, but that battle has long been lost by them, not least as they went bust in 2008. Without sounding critical (or at least, no more than normal) it feels a waste of a building to be used by Yates, they’ve got this historic location which JD Wetherspoon made considerable efforts to at least make feel traditional and it now looks like a new build pub in a retail park. The on-line reviews are broadly positive although a team member apparently told someone not breastfeed last year which led to an exciting response to the inevitable ngative review:
“Charlene Smith, we regret to hear that you had this experience with us. I was told about this incident just moments ago and I am ashamed of that member of staff and have severely corrected him. I can assure you this is not any form of policy nor standard practice. I am disgusted that he took it upon himself to do this. I hope you are still in Torquay to return for a personal apology not only from him but also from me on behalf of all of us that this happened to you. I would like to treat you to a complimentary meal by way of sincere sorry too. If you are unable to come back, please contact me via email so I can offer you an apology and make this right. Kind Regards Jay General Manager”
Anyway, for me, it’s all a bit soulless, but it’s a clean and comfortable environment which is spacious and has plenty of seating. I can see the attraction of the place, it’s welcoming, non-threatening and peaceful (at least in the day, I think that the music ramps up in the evening). The prices are firmly towards the lower end of the scale and the service was timely and polite, with Stonegate at least taking on the pub to ensure that this rather lovely building doesn’t stand empty. But, if I’m being honest, I can’t help thinking it’s a shame that JD Wetherspoon didn’t keep it, but I won’t labour that point….
