'Very busy' Waterside Inn 'broadening its horizons' in Leigh

Like other venues in the hospitality industry, the Waterside Inn was forced to close at the start of the pandemic, but ongoing covid-related problems led to an extended period of closure and Greene King eventually stepped away from the Canal Street pub. 

With reports of vandalism, theft, and criminal damage at the Waterside, it was a huge task for independent operators DCB group to take on, but after a successful relaunch back in April, bosses say that the "very busy" pub is "getting better and better".

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Some of the restaurant space at the Waterside (Image: Waterside Inn) Following a modern refurb of the Waterside, the pub has been growing in popularity over the past five months due to its welcoming setting and mouth-watering food menu that consists of breakfasts, classic pub grub, Sunday roasts, and afternoon tea.

And while the pub has been particularly busy during the summer months, thanks to its canal side terrace and 10 percent offer on Leopards matchdays, the Waterside has increasingly varied its offer to improve the pub's reputation and entice people back to a venue that was closed for four years.

In recent weeks, the hiring of a "high quality" head chef and General Manager aims to build on the pub's recent successes, with a new small plates menu, bottomless brunch events, and a growing event schedule unveiled.

Some of the new dishes on the pub's small plate menu (Image: Waterside Inn) Chris Roberts, managing director at DCB, said: "We had an amazing opening back in April, and we have been very busy since the relaunch, particularly when the weather is nice and the Leopards are playing. 

"We have been getting better and better but we want to keep trying new things and broadening our horizons. Sometimes this doesn't always work out, but we want to keep listening to customers and trying the things that they want to see.

"We keep hearing customers saying that they didn't know that we had reopened, so we really want to offer something for everyone and tick all the boxes to encourage people back to the Waterside."

The pub benefits from its canal side terrace (Image: Waterside Inn) Blown away by the "unbelievable response" to the pub's bottomless brunch options, which are often booked up for weeks in advance, Chris is particularly excited about the Waterside's new tapas-style menu, which has a ten percent offer with a leaflet and fifty percent offer from Monday to Wednesdays.

And with weekly pub quizzes, live singers, games nights, and themed events to look forward to, the Waterside team aim to keep growing their reputation as one of the places to be in Leigh.

Some of the Waterside team at one of the pub's themed events (Image: Waterside Inn)