Wickham pub The Square Cow to stay open after customer backlash to Quob Park restaurant plans
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As previously reported by The News, landlord Frank Dixie took to social media last month to announce that his pub The Square Cow in Wickham Square, Wickham would close before reopening as ‘No.1 The Square’ – a seafood restaurant run in partnership with Quob Park.
FOR MORE READ: The Square Cow pub in Wickham set to close as owner deems business unprofitable - but new restaurant will take its place
However, after ‘careful consideration’ and ‘hundreds’ of messages from local people, Frank has decided to halt the plans indefinitely.
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Hide AdFrank said: ‘It was an out-pouring of emotions. The offer that was made from Quob was reasonable, fair and full of good intentions but the response from Wickham village was, to say the least, amazing. They wanted their village pub to stay a village pub and I was bombarded with messages. The majority of them were good messages just asking me to have a rethink – which made me do exactly that. I didn’t realise what a village pub meant to a village.’
Frank said that all landlords are facing financial pressure at the moment, but that he feels ‘pretty good’ about his decision to continue serve pints to the local community. Last year, he took the innovative decision to open the venue as a cafe during quieter hours, a move which is now ‘paying dividends.’ He explained that the team behind the Quob Park Estate, comprising a hotel and vineyard in Titchfield Lane, ‘totally understood’ his decision.
Some comments on Frank’s post detailing the ‘No.1 The Square’ proposal highlighted concern for Quob Park’s influence over Wickham businesses – having already acquired ‘The Old Tea House’ in The Square in April. The business will not play a part in The Square Cow going forward.
He added: ‘I was looking for another way to get away from being a pub and that wasn’t the right decision in the end. There’s a lot of happy people in Wickham and I’m one of them. Local pubs are very important – I’ve begun to realise that now. It’s been a roller-coaster of good tidings and I’m happy to be a part of it.