Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise business unit of Greene King, has opened its first Nest Pub.
The Palmer Tavern, located on Wokingham Road in Reading, Berkshire has become the first Nest Pub after a £360,000 investment by Greene King.
The pub will be operated by Samantha Lane, who becomes the first ever Nest Pubs franchisee.
Nest Pubs is the second franchise concept from Greene King Pub Partners, following the success of Hive Pubs, the first franchise concept Greene King launched back in 2021, which now operates in over 45 sites.
Nest Pubs are wet-led pubs predominantly located on busy high streets and in communities, providing great value, an excellent experience and regular sport and entertainment. As a concept, Nest Pubs has its own unique identity, look and feel – and each pub shows Sky Sports and TNT Sports, as well as providing a pizza food offer alongside a great drink selection.
As part of the £360,000 investment by Greene King, The Palmer Tavern has been transformed to deliver the Nest Pubs concept. This has seen the pub receive all new decorations, fixtures and fittings including a new bar, seating and more. Outside, the pub’s signage and overall presentation has also been upgraded in line with the Nest Pubs look and feel.
Proudly becoming the first ever Nest Pubs franchisee, Samantha Lane will operate The Palmer Tavern. Previously, Samantha was a Greene King Pub Partners tenant operating The Albion in Reading, where she had also been General Manager before becoming the tenant.
Samantha’s team from her previous pub, The Albion, will be joining her at The Palmer Tavern – making it not only a female-led business but an all-female team.
As a Nest Pub, The Palmer Tavern will serve its own cask ale – “The Palmer Tipple”, as well as a range of other beers including one of Greene King’s latest craft beers, Hazy Day.
The pizza menu on offer at the pub includes Margherita, Chicken & BBQ, Salami and Hot & Spicy toppings.
The pub also features two pool tables and a garden with outside seating.
Samantha Lane, the first Nest Pubs operator and franchisee of The Palmer Tavern, said:
“I’m so pleased with the transformation of The Palmer Tavern and cannot wait to open the doors and invite customers back into their local. Being the very first Nest Pub is an incredibly exciting new adventure for both me and my team – plus it makes the revamp and reopening of the pub even more special!
“My vision for The Palmer Tavern is to make it the hub of the community – a friendly, warm and welcoming home from home. As a concept, Nest Pubs is all about delivering a great community pub experience so it is the perfect fit for me. Plus, I know I have the full backing and support of Greene King as one of their franchise partners. The future looks bright and I cannot wait to get the show on the road!”
Dan Robinson, Managing Director of Greene King Pub Partners, said:
“We’re delighted to get our first Nest Pub off the ground and open. Located on the busy Wokingham Road that goes through Reading, The Palmer Tavern is an ideal location for our first Nest Pub.
“Our £360,000 investment has transformed The Palmer Tavern into a Nest Pub and we are really excited to see how the franchisee concept delivers.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
About Greene King:
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a portfolio of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Wacky Warehouse
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing side of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
About Greene King Pub Partners:
Greene King Pub Partners operates around 1000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs across England, Scotland and Wales with independent business partners. In March 2023 it was recognised as the best leased and tenanted pub company at the Publican Awards, the 6th time Greene King Pub Partners has won the national industry award.
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
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