Ian Riaar, owner of The Tilted Barrel, says there is not enough trade to keep the pub running
Punter Carl Falconer has been going to The Tilted Barrel pub for 40 years
Britain’s ‘wonkiest pub‘ has been put up for sale – just 18 months after being saved.
Ian Riaar bought The Tilted Barrel in Tipton, West Midlands, for £186,000 in November 2023 before splashing another £100,000 doing up the Grade II-listed boozer. But, the businessman has now put the 200-year-old pub back on the market – blaming difficult trading conditions for failing to turn its fortunes around.
Customers are now concerned it could suffer a similar fate to The Crooked House five miles down the road, which was notoriously destroyed by fire in August 2023. The Tilted Barrel took over the title of ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ when Mr Riaar bought the Victorian building three months after the suspected arson attack.
He had hoped to turn his new bar into a similar tourist attraction to its counterpart, which attracted visitors from across the globe.
Mr Riaar said: “I have done everything I can to make a go of the pub. When I took it on it needed money invested to get it up and running again and I did that.
Ian Riaar is the owner of the The Tilted Barrel
“I have kept the price of a pint down to around £3 and we have a good regular trade, although we need more people to come and support us as well. But times are tough of course.”
The pub, which dates back to 1870 and is lopsided similar to the Crooked House due to mining subsidence, is on the market with estate agents Bond Wolfe for £299,000. Mr Riaar said he is ‘open to keeping it running’ and has recently addressed kitchen issues which saw the pub receive a hygiene rating of zero when inspectors visited in January.
It rated the pub as needing major improvement in the three areas assessed: Hygienic food handling; Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building and Management of food safety. Mr Riaar says he is waiting for another visit and has now lost a contract with Uber Eats for people to order food from the pub.
He added: “An essential part of the business was always going to be the food and we were doing okay until January when the hygiene inspectors came in and I admit there were issues with the kitchen.
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“But I have done the work which was identified, paid the fee for a rescore request but heard nothing back since and without that rating I can’t keep the contract with Uber Eats which was providing much-needed income from outside the pub.
“In the pub trade now food is everything and the business plan reflected that, but without help I am struggling to make enough money to keep going which is what I want to do as I took it over as a long-term project and have spent a lot on it.”
Pub regular Ray Cox, 65, of Tipton, said: “We just hope it stays a pub as it’s a lovely little place and the beer is pretty cheap too. But it’s been sold a couple of times now and you hear about local pubs closing all the time, so we are worried.
“The new gaffer did a nice job doing it up so you worry if he can’t make a success of it, who can? It’s a unique place and deserves to be saved.”
The listing on Bond Wolfe’s website says: “The Tilted Barrel is a historic Grade II listed public house dating back to 1820. Having recently been refurbished it trades successfully as a bar and grill with excellent scope to enhance trade levels.”
A spokesperson for Sandwell Council said: “The business has recently (May 13) paid for a FHRS (food hygiene rating system) rescore request which means it will receive a further unannounced inspection shortly (if still trading) and a new rating will be given based on the conditions found at that time.
“The officer has three months in which to do the FHRS rescore.”