Friars Court to reopen courtyard in April with a pizza menu

The popular bar and music venue closed at the beginning of October after Covid rules such as the curfew and having to order food with drinks took their toll.

Now Si Pugsley, who runs Friars, is looking forward to welcoming people back to the courtyard from April 12.

As part of the PM's 'roadmap' out of lockdown, people can drink outside at pubs and bars from that date.

Si, who has worked at the Barbauld Street venue for about 12 years, said: "In some respects it’s been an incredibly tough time, not just for Friars or Warrington but the entire hospitality industry is on its knees.

"But April 12 looks good for a fresh start. We’re in a fortunate position because not a lot of venues have got an outdoor space and they have another five weeks before they can open."

Friars will operate more as a pub rather than the late night bar it has long been known as. A pizza menu is also being introduced.

Si added: "We’re trying to take the business forward – we’ll keep the venue’s music roots which has always been Friars’ bread and butter but we’ll open more during the daytime and are going for more of a pub atmosphere.

Friars Court

"Friars was a nightclub for many years so we’re looking forward to showing people what it is like now."

Si made the decision to use the downtime during the first lockdown to fully refurbish Friars.

The venue was able to reopen in July but made the hard decision to close three months later.

He said: "We ripped the place apart and basically started again so it’s been completely refurbished both inside and outside. We did all the hard work and when we opened it went really well.

"But obviously cases started to rise again and they announced the 10pm curfew and food restrictions. Essentially it just killed it. It was just no longer a viable business unfortunately.

"We tried it for a week and it became pretty apparent it wasn’t going to work for us."

The courtyard can accommodate up to 90 people under the rules and the first dates in April are already beginning to book up.

Si added: "We’ll be relaunching with very much a restricted capacity. We’re talking about 25 per cent of the business that can function.

"It’s rule of six and the safety measures have got to be in place because dealing with the Covid restrictions is still a serious issue. It’s not gone away by any stretch of the imagination.

Friars Court

"But we’re looking forward to it and we’re reopening with a food menu which is something we’ve not really done before.

"People are desperate to get out and experience normality again.

"The opening on Monday is looking good and I think the Saturday is pretty much booked out. We’re also accepting walk-ins whenever we can fit them in.

"I think the roadmap is fairly realistic. There’s a long way to go until all the restrictions lift on June 21. There are a lot of things that have to go well like the vaccinations and people sticking to the basic rules.

"Fingers crossed it will go to plan but there will probably be the odd bump along the road as well.

"We have had restrictions of various degrees for a year now and it will be a big change in mindset to get back into going out and socialising."

Send a message at facebook.com/friarscourtwarrington for booking enquiries