A Bradley Stoke pub that closed for refurbishment last September is to re-open under a new name in early March.
The former ‘Bradley Stoke’ pub in Brook Way (near the Aldi supermarket), which was recently sold to Marstons plc, is scheduled to re-open as ‘The Hollow Tree‘ on Monday 4th March.
The pub ceased trading on 27th September 2012 and a planning application for alterations including “a new front entrance lobby, exterior drinking area and beer garden and a new play area” was submitted to South Gloucestershire Council on 15th October 2012 and approved on 14th December 2012.
The new entrance and lobby will be directly off Brook Way, through the existing patio area, while the new beer garden and play area will be constructed to the north of the building, resulting in the loss of a number of car parking spaces. The existing entrance on the south side of the building (from Ferndene) will be converted to a fire exit.
Rumours circulating on Twitter that the pub is being converted to a Weatherspoon’s establishment were flatly denied by a Marston’s spokesperson who told The Journal:
“The Bradley Stoke is due to re-open in early March and we can confirm that it will be a Marston’s pub not a Wetherspoon’s! It will be a two-for-one meal format, providing good-value food and a family-friendly atmosphere.”
Job vacancies at the new pub have recently appeared on the Directgov Job Search website. Positions available include Head Chef, 2nd Chef, Line Chef, Bar and Waiting Staff, Cleaner, Kitchen Porter, Kitchen Assistant. For more details, follow the link in the Featured Jobs section of our Bradley Stoke Jobs page.
Not worried about the food but fingers crossed for some decent real ale as Marstons have a fair range following various brewey acquisitions.
Plus the name is a significant improvement from the uninspired “Bradley Stoke” but what is the reference to a tree or was that dreamt up by bright-eyed young marketing things in a brainstorming meeting?
Its an awful name. When you think the name of a pub at the heart of a community often ends conversations like “I’ll meet you at the……..” or “Turn right after the ……….” I like to think of names like The George & Dragon or Red Lion, but we get The Hollow Tree.
Its obviously very relevant to the area, what with Bradley Stoke being packed to the rafters with hollowed out trees. They might have well as named it “The cultured gent” for all the relevance .
By that addage Chris, they might as well have called the pub The Speeding Chav, The Feckless Bumpkin or The Council House.
But then again, what’s in a name?
Live right by it! Lets hope they sell thatchers or blackthorn with some good live entertainment on the weekends.
Not too bothered by the name of the pub but it should be a good place to store my nuts. Is it me or is everybody missing the point of a good local pub. Two for one meals were already done by the Bradley stoke pub and it’s the same old rubbish just under another name. Here’s any idea, an independent pub with good beer and good honest home cooked food rather than food out of a fat fryer or the good old microwave. Really think the local council have lost the plot. Let’s have somewhere where we can really get what local people want. I live here and would not take people out to eat in Bradley stoke who do not live here.
How the signage at the new pub will look (subject to planning approval):
My 9 year old could have designed a better sign than that. And what has it got to do with hollow trees? Cheap and tacky if you ask me. I like the idea of callinging it The Feckless Bumpkin though…
A seriously amateurish design. A greenfinch? Most of them have died out due to Trichomonosis.
And if I only want one main meal, is it half price or do I get double portions?
I think having a carvery there like the lawns at yate would be a great idea and would def get me and my family there.
We are in need of good family pubs in the area so why are you all moaning about a name or signage?
All the works looking really nice so far
Does anyone still want to take their children to a “two for one” cheap meal place given Marstons are now caught up in the horse meat scandal?
And even when instructed to remove beef products suspected of being contaminated, they chose to carry on serving their slop.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2279594/Three-raids-carried-horsemeat-scandal-police-bail-men-arrested.html
It all looks good from the outside but I hope too that the tacky 2 meals for 1 offer doesn’t mean poor quality microwave or reheated tat.
i do hope they have all the guest ales like the Baileys court , my weekly treat
Looks like the sign does actually include a tree and not a bird as depicted in this article, panic over.
@barrychuckle is right. Here’s how the real thing looks:
Re-opening appears to be on schedule for Monday (4th March).
Get a free drink voucher: http://on.fb.me/YwZerS
I see an outdoor play area for children, but have doubts about visiting a pub which also has an indoor childrens’ play area.
Pubs should be for adults, not children.
Just got back from the opening night of the hollow tree and was wondering what people thought. Following on from my last comment about wanting good home cooked food all I can say is I won’t be going back. The food was awful and just as I thought out of a microwave. If it’s value for money you want then I would say go to harvesters every time. I had the pulled pork burger and all I will say is dont order it, it looked liked baby food and didn’t taste of pork so I do question the quality in light of the horsemeat scandle. The staff dont seem to have had much customer service training and we waited for almost 50 minutes for our food. We ordered a bottle of white wine and had to send it back as it was warm, one of the bar staff then came back claiming it was as cold as it should be for red wine and when we told him we ordered white wine he stomped off. Two for one sounds good value but the prices or so inflated and I dont think other food outlets in the area need to worry. What was the local town council thinking
We popped up last night too and as it was opening night was happy to expect waits and a few small hiccups with service. I didn’t like the table service for everything , felt a bit trapped, no chance of mingling with people to meet new friends. (staff were always polite and friendly, just a little disorginised ,I am sure that will improve with time and experience)
Being made to sit down and not able to go browse the bar to choose my drink, I didnt like either,especially as the waitress didnt seem to know the answer to what real ales do you have avaliable?.
Inside looks lovely plenty of seating.Look forward to using the garden when it gets warmer,
Food was ok but not awful,(not a patch on other pubs in the area though). Quite pricey meals unless you are ordering an even number of main courses, using the two for one offer.
The whole experience made me wonder is this a pub? or is it a resturant?
It seems to be confused.
Not sure how welcome you would be for a quiet drink without eating ?
They could do with having a look how the Baileys court is run and the system they have as its far superior ( and the lads and lasses down there are brillaint)
Me and my family went to the pub on opening night, we had a really good experience there all the staff were polite and friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. Our food was fab I had the salmon and crabcake salad. Defiantly to good to be microwave food. My whole family enjoyed the expierence and we are going back for sure, we have already arranged to go on Friday night. The puddings were lovely I couldn’t get enough. I’m not sure if the people on here went to the hollowtree as nothing of my experience was anything like there’s. I would defiantly recomend the hollowtree to everyone I know. And if your thinking of trying it out go for sure, you will love it!!!
Tried to get in last night to have a meal. Was greeted at the door by a polite member of staff who informed me that I’d have a 45 minute wait to get a table and then an hours wait to get a meal.
I went to the fish and chip shop instead.
Sigh.
My son and his mate went couple days ago during the day. As gyre said they had the same 45 minute wait for a table, then an hour to be served.
Irony is there were tables available as it was not evening!!! What must the chef have been doing???
I went to the new Hollow Tree on Tues and yes whilst we had to wait a while for our food it was nothing less than I expected with it being a new and much needed family eating establishment in Bradley Stoke. As for the quality of the food it was far superior to that of other pubs in the area. With the pub being empty for 5 months I would have been worried if the place was not popular and very busy in the opening weeks. I will definately be a regular visitor.
Decided on a birthday treat and thought why not looked lovely. We were served by 4 different people in the first 20 mins then took 50 mins for food to arrive. Cold food and the beef in red wine was soaked in garlic with 2 chunks of meat!!! Complained and they tried to fob us off with a free coffee!!!! Complained again to be told only this time they would take off the bill!!!! That was good considering we wont be going back again and already advised family and friends to stay well clear! !! What a let down and a ruined bday treat!!
Went here a couple of days ago. No complaints at all, our food was great, service was very good and the staff were very polite and helpful. Think people just need to realise they may have some teething problems to start with and hopefully will all be sorted soon. Do agree that this is operating more as a restaurant and not as a pub, but obviously they are trying to cater to a different market than other pubs in the area. Would definitely return and recommend for anyone who wants a good meal.
I went for an after-work pint and some food the other day with my mate. I was chuffed that the veggie options were pretty varied and given that we only had to pay for one main, it was good value. We’d go again. Oh yeah, and the beers were top.
Went here on Tuesday Lunchtime with my Dad, had an hour for lunch so just ordered some sandwiches as thought that would be quicker. Ordered our food at the bar so we could get drinks at the same time.
20mins later a couple came in and sat next to us and ordered main meals, after sitting there for 45 mins their food came out whilst ours was no where to be seen.
Spoke to a member of staff to find out what was happening and they just said the chef was making them now, no apology or anything. It obviously hadn’t been passed to the kitchen.
Another 10 minutes and our food arrives, again no apology for the wait once it had been bought to us. Steak baguette was very chewy and fatty and unedible and ended up having to take half back with me as I was due back in work. Finished our drinks and left very quickly.
I can appreciate that it was fairly busy and that they had only just opened but I wasn’t expecting to wait almost an hour for a fatty baguette for £5 when I can go to the van up the road and get a HUGE steak baguette with lovely meat for £3.60!!
Will probably got back again but will leave it a while
dont go, went at 5pm on sat was told to wait 20 mins for table and then 45 min for food, husband starter overcooked, main meals awful i had the encilada it was worse then a ready meal tasteless, my dad and step mum has haddock pasta which was the worse 3 small chunks of haddock in the whole dish, and our son meal was brought ten min after ours, we complain was offered one free desert. managers couldnt be bothered to speak to us ordered desert and they forgot one of them. dont bother to go
Don’t just complain here, let the parent company how bad their newest pub is at this site, the Hollow Tree is not yet on the list so just select “not on the list”
http://contact.marstonstaverns.co.uk/feedback-on-a-pub
We British need to learn how to complain properly and to the right people, no point in just wasting keyboard time here.
I went with the Wife and Parents on Saturday at about 5.45, was told there was about a 15 minute wait for a table which proved about right. Our waitress was attentive and seemed happy and cheery. When we entered we told there was a wait also for food of about 30 mins, however our starters came within 20 minutes of ordering and our mains followed about 20 minutes after that.
All the food that everyone had was good, everything was hot and cooked as ordered. Portion sizes were large. Overally we had a very good meal.
I nevermind waiting for food or a table if you are told when you enter and every person that entered got told there was a wait so it’s then personal choice if you stay. You can’t complain about waiting for food if you were told.
The place it’s self has been nicely done up and we will certainly go again.
I would say it’s been open less than week, staff are still finding there feet and i’m sure waiting times will drop as they get used to what will become ‘normal’ level of customers.
Overally very pleased.
Went yesterday with family, asked for 2 jackets for kids hardly any beans had to send back for more. I had burger was ok, hubby had Cajin chicken which had no flavour. I think it’s very over priced for what it is. Food in 3 brooks better value for money.
went to this first at Firday lunchtime with the wife to see what it was like like, previous postings was’t sure if this was a pub or restaurant, tried the food which was less than impreeesive, certainly the 3 brooks has a higher standard for food and better vfm.
Went in the evenining to see the difference and meet a few friends. We had a table and were asked to vacate the table by a member of staff as we were just having drinks, we were then advised that we didn’t have to move as he had the areas confused. (we also noted that the family next to us waited over 90 minutes for their meal and then didn’t get what they wanted)
Give it a few months until the novely passes and we can see what it ends up being.
Don’t understand why people are moaning about the waiting times..
The place is pretty much new, so alot of people will want to try it out which will cause waiting times!
I will do the right thing and wait till intrest start to die down on the place, then give it a try.
Just payed a visit this lunch time and can’t fault the place,friendly staff nice decor good beer and food was nice too,some people are only happy when they moan,yes it’s gonna have teething problems at busy times just give it time to establish itself before writing the place off.