A Leeds original start-up, that now operates as far afield as Dubai in events, food and beverage, is to open its first pub under company name Eloquent Animal Pubs Ltd.
The Greedy Duck is located just outside Leeds and is being created with a view to rolling out the brand in the UK and abroad.
The pub, formerly known as The Needless Inn, is the group’s first leased operation with Star Pubs & Bars and they are undertaking a joint £250k refurbishment.
The group already has a successful restaurant, Mans Market in central Leeds, Mans Market food truck and international events arm Candypants
Group CEO, Ray Chan remarked, “We are keen to grow our portfolio of businesses and the pub industry appeals due to its versatile nature. Our food truck has expanded into catering for large scale festivals, and we discovered the derelict pub whilst searching for a space to centralise our Leeds operation.
'The pub concept has grown organically from this search and through working with Star Pubs and Bars. To be able to reopen a local landmark such as The Needless Inn is simply the icing on the cake.
“We started running events 15 years ago in Leeds and have expanded to places like Miami, Las Vegas, Ibiza and the Middle East, where we are now multiple award-winning for our brunches in major outlets like the W Hotel, The Palm Dubai, but Leeds is our hometown and development and incubation base.
'Our Mans Market and Greedy Duck brands are being built so that they can be rolled out to any of the markets where we have operated. The Greedy Duck is an exciting project as we’ll be able to put on events and operate a dark kitchen from the premises as well.”
The Greedy Duck, which has been closed since October 2021, will reopen in mid-November in time for the World Cup as a top-quality family and dog friendly country pub serving traditional home-cooked pub classics. 15 jobs are being created on the back of the investment.
Funds are being spent on a complete upgrade of the interior and exterior giving The Greedy Duck a lighter more modern look and feel whilst retaining its traditional character. New bi-fold doors will be installed to frame the stunning valley views. There will also be a flexible dining area which will be used for events and can be hired for private functions.
Outside, the large beer garden will have seating for 94 and next year the team intends to add a pizza oven, barbecue and outdoor bar to make the most of the fantastic views.
Food will be a major attraction at The Greedy Duck. To celebrate the ingredients sourced from local suppliers there will be Yorkshire TAPAS such as Otley reared sausages served with a Henderson relish, and Swaledale Pork Crackling with Rhubarb & Ginger compote. And on Sunday there will be a classic Sunday Roast selection with all the trimmings including Gressingham Duck.
Drinkswise, there will be barista style coffee, hand pull ales, a selection of premium lagers, wines and spirits and made-to-order cocktails.
Plans for The Greedy Duck include Saturday evening live music, Sunday acoustic music and from January a weekly pub quiz. There will be Sky TV in the bar area with four HDTVs for watching live sports.
Said Jay Weir, Star Pubs & Bars area manager, “We are delighted that Kai, Ray and Theo have taken on The Greedy Duck. As well as knowing the area, they have great attention to detail and loads of experience hosting events and serving fantastic food not just in Leeds but around the world.
'The pub is in a fantastic location and I’m sure it will be a great success under their stewardship. I look forward to building a long-term relationship and helping them grow their pub business.”
Finance Director at Eloquent Animal Pubs, Kai Man added, “Star Pubs and Bars have been fantastic throughout the process and really supported our vision for the pub. As independent operators it’s good to collaborate with a large corporate company such as Heineken because they bring the weight required to get a project like this over the line.”
