The White Horse Inn in Saintfield has a new owner.
Local publican Gavin Bates, leaseholder of the popular Ryan’s Bar on the Lisburn Road, Belfast, has recently expanded his bar and restaurant portfolio with the help of commercial property consultants GVA NI.
In an off-market deal which has doubled the value of his portfolio of bars and restaurants, Gavin acquired the 200 year old White Horse Coaching Inn in Saintfield which also includes The Flaming Crust Pizza restaurant.
Speaking about the development, Gavin Bates said: “We are delighted to have expanded our business into Saintfield. The White Horse is a historical, traditional, family-friendly bar and restaurant at the hub of the local community and I am really enjoying building relationships with our customers.
“Our food offering has something to cater for everyone’s taste buds, with the 60 seater bar restaurant serving up a varied menu of gastro pub food and The Flaming Crust Pizza restaurant on the lower level of the property serving authentic Italian pizza from the wood fired oven. Our menus feature popular mid-week and weekend specials and all of our food is freshly prepared each day using local ingredients, including meat from our nearby butcher.”
A well-known food and drink establishment in Saintfield, the White Horse holds a history of excellence on which the new owner plans to build. “Everything is going very well so far. We are currently making cosmetic improvements including painting the building internally and externally and are working on plans for further investment in the bar,” added Gavin Bates.
“We are also happy to have retained the experienced team of staff in the bar and restaurant who will continue to deliver the high quality food and drink that customers are used to.”
Leading property consultant, Gavin Weir, Director, GVA NI who completed the deal said: “The White Horse is a well-established local business in a good location and we were pleased to complete the deal which suited both vendor and purchaser well. We have been working with Gavin for a number of years since he took over the helm of Ryan’s Bar in Belfast and we look forward to helping him expand his business further in the coming years.
“The sale demonstrates the good demand for profitable licensed venues with a secure trade,” he added.
GVA NI acted on behalf of the vendor, Mr Bernard Sloan, who had built the successful business up over 14 years. Bernard will now concentrate on his exciting Whitewater Brewery Business and the expanding craft beer market both locally and abroad.
