Customers at what is currently a Toby Carvery, have been told that the owners, the Mitchells and Butlers pub group, are refitting the Red Lion to be new pizza and carvery restaurant.
Regulars have been informed that the Red Lion will be closed for at least three weeks as from Tuesday 3 January, after the New Year festivities.
Other Toby Carvery and Harvester public houses that are considered by Mitchells and Butlers to be underperforming are also being re-launched as upmarket eateries in attempt to attract new customers in what is already a highly competitive market for casual dining.
Staff at the Red Lion told the Barnet Society they were looking forward to the pub’s relaunch.
They say they enjoy working in an iconic, listed building, that is so well known, and only wish the that the make-over could be extended to the upper floors as well which are currently not in use and are out of bounds to both staff and public.
The Red Lion has undergone several re-launches in recent years, but there seems little chance of it reverting to days when it was a popular hotel – even though it retains a sprung ballroom upstairs, just one of the many features that will still be off limits after the re-launch.
