Punch Taverns to continue US-themed sports bar and grill rollout
In a joint £430,000 investment with licensee Jat Bhardwa, the leased operator will turn the former Maguire’s site in Ilford, Essex, into a US-themed sports bar.
The venue, on Chapel Road, will include 11 HD TV screens together with seating booths with individual TVs. It will open on 25 June following a five-week refurbishment
A grill menu will centre on ribs and burgers, and there will be a resident DJ on Friday and Saturday nights.
Rising Sun
Bhardwa – who has been running bars since he was 18 and is now 34 – also owns and operates Ilford pub the Rising Sun, formerly owned by Punch. Prior to that, he owned the freehold of the Earl of Wakefield in Forest Gate.
He said: “I’m a mad football fan. Over the years, I’ve played for local teams and I’ve always owned or operated bars, so this is a perfect match for me.”
Bhardwa added: “With Champs, I get to create a fantastic, premium sports bar while watching all my favourite matches. It’s great to team up with Punch, which is offering me a raft of support to make sure that it’s a winning concept.”
Champs was developed by Punch in 2012 after it bought the name of the former Champs bar in Sheffield’s Ecclesall Road from Thornbridge Brewery, before opening up a new bar under the same name 100 yards away.
The original Champs was turned into a real ale bar and restaurant by its new owner BrewKitchen.
Punch said the investment into the Ilford site will also create 30 new jobs for the town.
