First look: The Mailbox bar comes to Lincoln

The former Varsity bar on Guildhall Street in Lincoln has reopened after a £230,000 refurbishment and rebrand as The Mailbox – and The Lincolnite went on a first-look tour.

Stonegate Pub Company, a brand which also owns Slug and Lettuce, Scream and Yates, took on ownership of the business from Bramwell.

Varsity closed on May 26 for the refurb and restarted trading as The Mailbox on June 12. The building housing the venue used to be a post office.

As previously reported, the new menu offers American-style food, various cocktails and beers from around the world, including five regularly rotating craft beers on tap.

The layout includes an outdoor beer garden, a downstairs sports zone and curved bar.

Sales Manager, Georgia Cartwright, said: “We are anticipating the bar to be one of the most popular in Lincoln and to be right up there with competitors.

“We are offering unique facilities and the investment in technology here will make it like no other. For example, we’ve got super-fast WiFi installed, free charging points and even free phone chargers behind the bar.

“We also have a free printing service for those working from the WiFi. Customers just need to collect their prints from behind the bar.

“The feel of the bar is totally interactive and a real communal space. We even have a Virtual Juke Box app where you can request the next song on the playlist.”

“We hosted a trial day on June 11”, said Georgia. “Everything went smoothly. We were fully booked and serving around 60 people per hour.

“Based on trial service so far, the most popular thing on the menu has to be the pulled pork. Our special trays and sharers are also delicious.

“We are all really excited to crack on with our future plans and have really been enjoying the training process. We have been visiting breweries and taking special mixology classes too.”

New owners have hired 6 new members of staff are are still recruiting. To join the team, you can send your CV to [email protected].