New owners of Tap and Tonic in Grantham and Lincoln reveal plans to eventually open in Stamford

The new owners of a cocktail bar hope the venue can become a community hub with more people coming in.

In August, Grantham and Lincoln-based Tap and Tonic was taken over by Vencha Capital after former owners Paul, Karen and Luke Adams left due to family health issues and retirement plans.

The new owners hope they can rebuild the bar’s footfall, after Market Place roadworks led to a decline in customers, as well as become a community hub in Grantham.

Dan Shaw, spokesperson for Vencha Capital, said: “The reason for the acquisition of Tap and Tonic was the value it brings to the community of Grantham and Lincoln.

“We want to support Grantham town centre and for it to be a community hub, as well as a cocktail bar and restaurant.

“When the roadworks were going on don’t get me wrong, Tap and Tonic did suffer, but we believe it was a good thing.

“There is a lot of moaning about roads but now they are done, we see it as a positive.

“We now want the business to thrive.”

Much of what is on offer at the cocktail bar is the same, except for new menus being introduced.

However, Vencha Capital has plans for expansion and more events.

Dan added: “We want to eventually open eight to 10 locations, such as in Stamford, Peterborough and Nottingham.

“We are looking to do more events. We also want Tap and Tonic to open for longer and introduce fine dining.

“On the first floor there is a beautiful dining room. We are going to open this up for people and invite guest chefs on a monthly basis.

“For me, it’s thinking about how can we get involved with the local community? And how can we use the space for them?

“For example, we could have a business club here or a mother and toddlers group on a weekday morning.”

Karen Adams, who previously worked for Tap and Tonic, is also being kept on as general manager which Dan said is “really nice to keep someone on with the skills and knowledge of the business”.

Karen is keen to get the message out to people that “we are still open”, as people have questioned whether the cocktail bar was still operating.

She said: “With Market Place being done, the footfall is now back and we need to get it back into the cocktail bar.

“We want to show people we are still here, we still have the same cocktails and we still provide the same service.

“I am hopeful we can try and get people back down here. We need people back down this end of town.”