“THIS IS still The Gig House, there is continuity.” That is the promise from the new team behind the popular town centre bar and restaurant which has re-opened.
Last month, Wetherspoon pulled out of the Erftstadt Court venue in Wokingham’s town centre and since then a team from the Bears restaurant chain have been hard at work refurbishing the site ready for the relaunch.
The pub has been given a lick of paint, had new beer pumps installed and new furniture has been put in place, ensuring that it looks good for its new incarnation.
And the aim is very much to take on the best of Wetherspoon, while making their own enhancements, including a new live music stage. The first act to perform there will be The Shelf Side on Friday, July 20.
A spokesperson for The Gig House set out their vision.
“We got the keys a fortnight ago, and we’ve been transforming the venue ever since. We’ll have a blue and orange colour scheme, and all new furniture. We’ve made a large investment in the pub.
“We believe that the site has a strong future and we’re very, very passionate about it. We’re here to revive The Gig House.
“With the live music, we’ve got a new stage area being installed, it’ll be a bit like Friday night live, with bands playing out to a nice big crowd. We’ve got the first three months booked already, and we welcome bands to approach us. We’re also planning to launch an open mic night in the week.”
And the menu, they feel, will please fans of the old Gig House, with options including mac ‘n’ cheese, a pie of the day and lasagne, as well as specials such as lamb shank, roasted pork belly, steaks and, of course, burgers. The kitchens will open towards the end of next week.
“A Sunday roast will be very, very important to us. The menu is very much pub classics, with affordable prices,” they explained.
“It’s the Wetherspoon idea but trying to meet the needs of our clients, so we’re not using the Bears model, it’s very much a Gig House menu, and we pride ourselves on using very good ingredients.”
To launch the menu, there will be a discount on food prices until the end of the month, and with breakfasts starting at just £3.95, they hope that people will flock to give the new Gig a go.
“We want customers to come in and try us,” the management said.
Being a pub, there is some interest what they will be serving on tap. Beer lovers can enjoy 14 different types including Sharps Atlantic, Doom Bar, Carling and Fosters.
“We will have guest lagers on tap and it will change according to what our customers want,” the management promise.
There will also be cocktails, speciality gin and a good mixture of spirits: “The majority of Wetherspoon’s range particularly”.
