April 12, 2021 5.48 pm This story is over 35 months old

Delight for Lincoln pub owners and customers as beer gardens reopen

Hospitality reopens for outdoor service
People enjoying drinks in the sunny but cold weather in the Bailgate at the Lion & Snake and The Prince of Wales. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Beer gardens in Lincoln have already started to fill up as pubs and bars were allowed to reopen to serve customers outside from Monday, April 12.

Restaurants are also allowed to reopen to serve customers outside as part of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, while indoor service is currently scheduled to be permitted from May 17.

The Lion & Snake and Prince of Wales were particularly busy in Uphill Lincoln on Monday, while student bar The Towers had a long queue of people outside during the afternoon.

Soaking in the sunshine in the Bailgate at the Prince of Wales and Lion & Snake. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The queue at the student bar – The Towers – on Monday afternoon. | Photo: The Lincolnite

Students enjoying their drinks at The Towers. | Photo: The Lincolnite

The beer garden at The Towers was very busy. | Photo: The Lincolnite

The Nosey Parker, Craft and The Royal William IV were also among the bars to reopen in Lincoln on Monday – see the full list here.

The Nosey Parker welcomes back punters on April 12. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Socially distanced drinks in the beer garden at the Nosey Parker. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Ronnie Byrne, Duty Manager at Nosey Parker, said: “It’s good to be back! The snow last night had us a bit concerned. A snow day after six months off would’ve been a bit of a downer, wouldn’t it?

“But thankfully, the sun is out, the drinks are flowing, and we’ve been able to welcome back our amazing guests. They’ve stood by us through this whole chaotic time, and we couldn’t be happier to have them back!”

Good to be back! Craft on Lincoln High Street has a spacious beer garden to welcome customers. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

David Nejrup, Operations Manager at Craft, said: “We are delighted to be taking the first step back to ‘normal’. It’s been great to welcome guests into our garden.

“We are now counting down the days to May 17 when hopefully we’ll be allowed to welcome our guests back inside the venue.”

James Dolan is Operations Director at Ever So Sensible Restaurants. They run The Royal William IV and Horse & Groom on Brayford Wharf North, The Duke William in the Bailgate and Ferry Boat in Washingborough, which are all now back open.

Customers enjoying a pint outside by the Brayford at The Royal William IV.

He said: “Our teams have been really busy making sure the pubs are safe and ready to reopen, and we’ve even had the chance to make some improvements, deep cleaning, redecorating, adding new seating, and additional covered areas ready to make people smile when they visit us again.

“We are super excited to see all of our lovely customers again, especially our much loved regulars that are part of the family. This most recent lockdown has been the longest and toughest for everyone, which made us a bit nervous about reopening, but as we’ve got stuck in to getting the pubs ready we’ve really enjoyed being back at work.

“We’ve rediscovered our sense of purpose, and our love for serving amazing food & drink whilst making people happy. Today (Monday) has been brilliant seeing all those smiling faces again (even if they are hidden behind a mask), it has really reminded us why we love our industry so much.”