Franchisee Success at The Tarbet, Edinburgh
Highlights:
- Pauline transitioned from a tenancy to a franchise agreement.
- Secured significant capital investment for a full interior refurbishment.
- Became the first Belhaven Pub Partners Franchisee in Scotland
The Challenge
Pauline Huggins was the tenant of The Tarbet Pub on the outskirts of Edinburgh city centre, running a well-established local venue — but one that had lost momentum over time. She saw an opportunity to do something bold: reinvest, reposition the pub and create something that truly reflected its potential.
Moving to a franchise agreement was a big decision and would mean Pauline was the first Belhaven Pub Partners franchisee in Scotland.
The Solution
Working closely with Greene King / Belhaven Pub Partners, Pauline and her business partner Scott transitioned into a franchise agreement supported by a transformational investment and capex programme.
The partnership allowed Pauline to retain control over day-to-day decisions, while gaining the reassurance of a trusted brand and a strong operational backbone. Maintenance, systems, logistics and back-office support were all taken care of — freeing Pauline to focus on what mattered most: customers, staff and the pub experience.
The relationship was collaborative from the outset with her BDM, Alasdair, with clear communication, hands-on support, and access to a growing franchise network where partners could share insight and advice.
The Result
The transformation has been dramatic.
The Tarbet Pub now feels like a brand-new venue, welcoming back customers who hadn’t visited in over 20 years — alongside a wave of new faces. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, staff morale is high, and standards across the pub have been elevated.
For Pauline, the franchise model has delivered far more than expected: peace of mind, confidence, and the freedom to run her business with support rather than stress.
In her own words, she would wholeheartedly recommend becoming a Greene King / Belhaven franchisee to anyone who is considering it.
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Full Transcript:
Formerly the tenant of the Tarbet Pub located on the outskirts of Edinburgh city center, Pauline Huggins believed that moving to a franchise agreement with Belhaven Pub Partners could offer her many advantages. In doing so, she also became the company's first franchisee in Scotland. It's a claim that she is rightly proud of. And when we caught up with her, she explained just how well this new arrangement is working for her.
“This is my first Green King pub. Being the first one in Scotland as well, that's a bit of a an accolade as well. So, it's quite good. Yes, big risk, but a risk is worth taking. So, and it's turned out really well.”
Alasdair - “It just felt like the right thing to do to invest in the property and to do something transformational to represent
the pub to the market. And it was identified that it was a perfect fit for franchise. We were very lucky to to come across Pauline and her business partners to do the investment and and take on the franchise agreement.”
Pauline - “It's like a whole brand new pub again that I've got and all the customers love it. People that haven't been coming in for 20 plus years have come back.”
Alasdair - “I could see the potential of working with them and explored the opportunity of them moving into franchise alongside the investment and the transformational capex scheme.”
Pauline - “I get to make the decisions, the control that you that you've got. Everything you need is there. Everything you can think of, maintenance, login, maintenance, any issues, they come out and they do it. No hassle. It's been great. It's it takes all the worry, especially the back office things like I can concentrate more on the customers, the staff, the running of the pub.
Alasdair - “We got to know Pauline and her business partner Scott really well. What the pub was delivering had changed. Pauline and Scott had made a huge transformation.”
Pauline - “Yeah, Green King just it's been really really really good. Um I didn't expect that level of support. So that's made a huge difference especially having all the different new franchises as well. We're all in a group so we can all ask questions to each other.”
Alasdair - “The standards that Pauline and the team were driving were really strong. So marrying the two up seems to have been a bit of a match made in heaven.”
Pauline - “No, I think we work really well together. Um, as I say, I can phone him, text him anytime. All the new customers that are coming in, the feedback's been great. The staff have done amazing. It's just been it's been a really really good experience. One that I'm that I'm really happy that that we did. I would highly recommend anybody to go with Greene King and be a franchisee.”