A family fun pub will close this autumn, before being transformed into something altogether different.
Riverside Farm, on Shipton Road, Skelton, is known to thousands of Yorkies thanks to the countless children’s parties hosted at its Wacky Warehouse indoor soft play area.
As YorkMix reported last month, owner Greene King has applied for permission to make big changes at the pub – including demolishing the walkway that leads to the Wacky Warehouse.
A single storey extension plus terrace would be built in its place.
Now the brewery has revealed that the pub with the affectionate nickname of ‘Rugrat Farm’ will shut very soon.
A note on the website says it will close next Monday, 16 September. But now it looks like it could get a stay of execution until next month.
Work will then begin to turn it into a Hickory’s Smokehouse, serving food inspired by the southern states of the US.
A Greene King spokesperson said: “We are delighted to announce that there are plans for Riverside Farm to become a Hickory’s Smokehouse for Skelton, York.
“We have notified the team at the pub of this exciting development for the venue, and the current plan is for it to close later in October and undergo a significant investment before reopening in 2025.”
The first Hickory’s Smokehouse was opened in 2010 in Chester.
In October 2022 it was announced that Greene King was investing in Hickory’s to help build it into a national dining brand.
“Part of this involves Greene King identifying sites it already owns in its estate that would be a perfect fit for Hickory’s,” said the spokesperson.
The team at the Riverside Farm has been notified and a formal consultation process has begun.
The current team could transfer to Hickory’s when it opens next year. However, Greene King is also exploring opportunities for the team to move to other pubs in the nearby area.
The brewery says the opening of Hickory’s “is expected to significantly increase the number of people employed at the venue”.