Becoming a famous pub owner is the hottest investment of the 21st century for British stars looking to hide their money. Celebrities from film, television, theater, and sports own pubs and bistros across the country.
There was a time when being a celebrity who liked to eat out eventually led to an investment in a restaurant. Michael Caine was a famous associate in the trendy 70’s restaurant, Langans. In the 1990s, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Whoopi Goldberg were the original investors in Planet Hollywood (still around, but long since abandoned their stars). And Robert De Niro is famous for putting his money where his mouth is with investments in Nobu and Tribeca Grill.
For the British, it’s a pub
In the UK, the key accessory, for male celebrities, in any case, seems to be a pub. Well known British personalities regularly take their local boozers. Of course, a British pub is more than just a place to drink beer; the best of them are the centers of their communities or, increasingly, the place to go to eat rather ambitious food in a more informal setting than a good restaurant. The invention of the gastropub may be why the likes of celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal, and Tom Kerridge own pubs.
On the chance that you could catch a celebrity having a pint or bending an elbow at a local pub (it happens), here’s a list of who owns what in the UK.
Famous owners
- Frank Lampard, a retired England and Chelsea footballer, has kept a score in Chelsea with The Pig’s Ear on Old Church Street, south of The King’s Road near Paultons Square. He co-owns the pub with his father (also named Frank and also a retired footballer). The pub is surprisingly light-hearted, tucked away in a quiet corner with a traditional-looking bar. It is known for its modern British gastropub food and a pretty good dessert menu. Traditional Sunday roasts with all the trimmings are priced well. Will you see Frank or his soccer friends? Probably not as he lives in New York now, but it is said that he still owns a mansion in Chelsea, so you never know.
- Neil Morrissey , actor and star of the popular 1990s British comedy “Men Behaving Badly” is one of the owners of The Plume of Feathers in the Stoke-on-Trent town of Barlaston, near The World of Wedgwood. Stafford-born Morrissey is still acting, most recently seen in the United States in Striking Out. But he also makes beer and ale these days and when you visit his hometown you can occasionally find yourself in the kitchen of this pub. The rambling canal-side pub has a traditional bar with a spacious modern dining room. The same menu, well done pub classics, is served in both.
- Guy Ritchie, director of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels bought The Punch Bowl on Farm Street in Mayfair when he was better known as’ Mr. Madonna ». Dating back to 1750, it is the second oldest pub in Mayfair (the oldest is The Coach and Horses, just around the corner) and serves British gastropub style food. You might catch a glimpse of the celebrities while you’re there, but leave your camera at home as photography is not allowed in this fancy booze.
- Sir Michael Parkinson was one of the first chat show hosts in Britain. Now retired from chat shows, he remains a well-loved personality among the British public. At the height of his popularity, appearing in “Parkinson” was the signal that a British artist had reached the mainstream. He didn’t always do so well with American stars. When Steve Martin, on his UK debut, cut Parkinson’s tie, the host was not amused. And, in what he described as his “most difficult television moment,” Parky presided over an infamously excruciating interview with Meg Ryan. The success of your pub adventure is less controversial. Royal Oak Maidenhead, Berkshire, opened in 2001 with Parkinson’s chef’s son, Nicholas, at the helm. It has a Michelin star and 3 AA rosettes, as well as oak beams, a comfortable and open fireplace.
- Sir Ian McKellen Sir Ian was well known to Shakespearean audiences before he became a household name as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. His pub, The Grapes, on Narrow Street in Limehouse, part of London’s East End, was built in 1720 on a site that had been a pub since 1583. Charles Dickens was apparently standing on a table and singing there as a child. He later used it as the inspiration for The Six Jolly Fellowship Porters at Our Mutual Friend in 1864. Sir Ian’s pub overlooking the Thames has a fish restaurant and serves traditional ales.
