The news that The Mons pub is likely to be sold to McDonald’s has been met with outrage.
The pub, which is located at the junction of Breeze Hill and Southport Road in Bootle, closed its doors for good last month. It was part of Mitchells & Butlers’ Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery chain, but the parent company decided to sell the site. It had been operating as a pub since 1966.
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers told the ECHO on 3 July: “We continually review our estate to ensure we are always getting the best returns from each of our assets and driving innovation across our brands so we can continue to deliver shareholder value. Following an approach, we have decided to sell Mons Bootle.”
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The ECHO understands that a deal to sell the site to McDonald’s is close to completion, with the pub set to become one of the chain’s fast food outlets. When asked for comment by the ECHO, a McDonald’s spokesman said: “We are always looking for suitable sites and are currently investigating a number of options in the wider area.”
ECHO readers were generally unimpressed by the announcement, with some having fond memories of the pub going back decades.
Karen Beckett wrote on Facebook: “I met my husband there in July 1974. Next year will be our 50th wedding anniversary so I’m sad it’s over.”
Michael Keough added: “I used to go there a lot when I worked at Skelly’s Ford World Bootle [in] ’76.”
There was general disappointment at the prospect of another McDonald’s restaurant opening in the region.
Lisa Gallagher said: “There are about five Maccies within a mile of each other in the area, we definitely don’t need another one! A nice restaurant would have been better.”
Stacey Bridge-Tucker agreed. She said: “There are hardly any decent places to eat this side of Walton/Bootle so it’s closed and will become another Maccies when there are enough of them around here.”
Many readers were concerned about the potential impact of a McDonald’s on traffic in that part of Bootle.
Justine O said: “Traffic is going to be worse than ever, how ridiculous. There’s already Rice Lane and Walton County Road and Queens Drive, drive-thrus.”
Amanda Hoose said: “I hate to think what effect that will have on the intersection there. It’s going to be busy and chaotic.”
On the ECHO website, Teri69 added: “We don’t need extra traffic at this nightmare of an intersection! I’ve seen many near misses during rush hour too. Has anyone thought of this yet?”
However, there were a few readers who supported the idea, including Donna Lewis, who argued that a McDonald’s on the site would be “better than empty buildings”. She added: “They should only be allowed to rent to people who want it, unfortunately no other business did.”
Another reader defended the fast food chain on the ECHO website, arguing that McDonald’s does more than most to help young people. Birder2629 said: “Maccies get bad press BUT they are a fantastic company for getting young people into the workplace. Without them, many young people would not have any chance of employment or training.”
The future of the Mons has been the subject of a number of rumours in its last days as a pub. The ECHO received a number of messages suggesting it would be sold to McDonald’s, with posts in Bootle-based Facebook groups making the same suggestion.
The pub, which takes its name from Bootle’s sister city in Belgium, Mons, first opened in 1966 as part of the Walker brewery chain. A flyer announcing the opening read: “Enjoy the continental atmosphere of the Belfry Bar and Lumecon Lounge. The Hainaut Banqueting Suite, with sprung dance floor and cocktail bar, is available for private functions.”
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