This November, The Grosvenor Arms will open its doors in Earlsfield, marking the first pub from hospitality group Leisure Works and the beginning of its ambition to put the great British pub back at the heart of the community.
Opening this November, The Grosvenor Arms is about bringing back the things that make a proper British pub great: good food, good drinks and warm hospitality, in a place that feels as much a part of the neighbourhood as the people who live in it.
Thereโll be no overcomplicating things. Doors will open in the morning for coffee and freshly baked goods, with locally-baked bread turned into proper sandwiches come lunchtime. The bar will pour the familiar pub staples alongside local beers and a considered selection of low-intervention wines, with simple but meticulously executed cocktails - perfect for a night cap.ย
As evening rolls around, the kitchen will be handed over to Fergus Wilford, who will take up residency at The Grosvenor Arms, from opening until Christmas.
Wilford joins from a sold-out residency at Naughty Piglets, following his time as head chef at Fallow. At The Grosvenor Arms, heโll turn his attention to proper British pub food, working with locally-sourced ingredients and the seasons, to create an evolving menu that combines pub favourites with his own signature style.ย
Fergus Wilford says:
โThereโs something really special about getting to cook in the neighbourhood you call home. I live just round the corner in Southfields, so I already know and love the area and Iโm looking forward to The Grosvenor Arms becoming part of the community here. For me, the residency is a chance to do what I love - cook with great seasonal British produce, creating great dishes that people will want to come back for.โย
At its heart, The Grosvenor Arms is bringing back the kind of local everyone wants on their doorstep, somewhere people can use in whatever way suits them.
That might mean stopping in for a morning coffee with your laptop, picking up a sandwich for lunch, meeting for a pint, settling in for dinner or simply having somewhere good to go on a Sunday afternoon. The aim is not to reinvent the pub, but to bring back what people have always loved about it.
Traditional and familiar without feeling stuck in the past, The Grosvenor Arms will put warmth and hospitality ahead of formality. Locals, families, dogs, regulars and those dropping in for the first time will all be equally welcome.
It is an approach that forms part of a wider ambition from Leisure Works, with The Grosvenor Arms becoming its first pub opening.
Dan Jackson, Leisure Works Director says:
โWe donโt think the British pub needs reinventing, it just needs looking after. The best pubs feel completely at home in their neighbourhood: somewhere everyone is welcome, whether youโre stopping for a pint, something to eat, a place to work from or simply to see a familiar face.
โAt the same time, running a pub today comes with very different challenges. Weโre using AI and new technology behind the scenes to help us operate smarter and more efficiently, so our team can spend more time on what really matters: looking after people. The technology might be new, but what happens on the other side of the bar is good, old-fashioned British hospitality.โ
The Grosvenor Arms will see Leisure Works use AI technology throughout its operation, bringing together data from across the business to inform decisions around forecasting, staffing, stock, menu performance, procurement and day-to-day planning.
Sitting quietly behind the scenes, the technology will help the team spot patterns earlier, understand what is working and identify potential issues before they become bigger ones. The intention is not to replace people or automate the guest experience, but to reduce some of the admin and guesswork that comes with running a busy pub.
Itโs a meeting of old and new: using technology to make the operation smarter and more efficient, while freeing up the team to focus on what happens on the other side of the bar - great food, great service and proper British hospitality.
