Keene and Fleury take on third pub

Stuart Keene and Stephen Fleury transformed the tired, wet community pub with a mainly male clientele into a stylish bar designed to have “broad appeal”.

The licensees are looking to cater for diverse customers at different times of the day, from shoppers and office workers to the pre-club market. The menu will focus on home-made gourmet burgers and the pub is the only one in the town centre to offer Sky Sports.

Acorn 30 is Keene and Fleury’s third pub, the duo took on their first lease, the Oak in Kingston in 2006. The burger menu uses locally sourced products and was trialled and refined at the Oak where it doubled already healthy food sales in weeks.

As well as introducing food to the site, Keene and Fleury have extended the drinks menu to include cocktails, premium spirits and wines and a wide range of bottled and draught beers, including cask ale.

The refurbishment has increased the pub’s trading area by 25% to nearly 2,000sq ft by expanding into a disused kitchen and storage rooms at the back of the building.

The interior and exterior have been upgraded to have a “classic, vintage chic feel with a minimalist look” creating a sense of space.

“We’ve always felt very comfortable with S&NPC. We have a strong vision for our pubs and they have been easy and supportive to work with,” said Fleury.

Keene and Fleury are now looking for other sites in the Surrey and Middlesex areas.