The Sand Dancer, located on the South Shields Coast, has welcomed their customers back to the pub following a massive £130,000 joint investment completed by independent pub company, Punch Pubs and Publican, Ed Chilton. The outside of the pub has been completely transformed from a large car park to a stunning new beach bar style outdoor area.
The outside area is now decked with timber and features colourful beach hut style booths, heated pergolas, and fire pits. A brand new outdoor bar will serve the area, offering something for everyone from draft beer and cocktails to a quality cup of coffee, making this the space to catch up with friends or enjoy a drink in the sun with family.
The Sand Dancer’s new outdoor area has been designed specifically to ensure it can stay open all year round, meaning customers can enjoy late night sunsets even in the colder months. The investment has increased the capacity of the pub by a massive 200 and has subsequently created more jobs for the local community.
Publican of the Sand Dancer, Ed, says, “The outdoor area looks fantastic, it’s much better than we had expected, it makes a really big visual impact at night. We have been overwhelmed by the response from our customers which has been really positive. We had already submitted the plans earlier this year after we tuned into the trend for outdoor dining and drinking. The idea was to create a space that is usable whatever the weather.
“The new space has also meant that customers can easily enjoy themselves in a relaxed but safe environment. Ed says, “Its turned out to be really useful in light of the new social distancing. We decided to remain closed for an extra couple of days to keep our staff and customers safe. We’re confident that we have done everything we can and we’re looking forward to welcoming people back”.
Punch’s Operations Director Mandy Southall said “The Sand Dancer is a fantastic pub in the most wonderful setting on the beach front. We are very proud to have been able to work with Ed to transform the outdoor area creating a space for customers to enjoy all year round.”