Business & Tech

Kensington Circus Pub Being Sold, Will Continue, Owner Says

The owner of the Kensington Circus Pub on Colusa Circle said he's selling the business to move back to England and that the new owner intends to continue operating the popular English-style bar and restaurant.

The owner of the Kensington Circus Pub said he's selling the business to a new owner who intends to continue operating the popular restaurant and bar.

"I'm going back to England," said owner Graham Simpson, who lives in El Cerrito. "I'm selling the pub."

The Kensington Circus Pub, started by Simpson nearly 24 years ago, on March 15, 1988, is a prominent fixture with its large blue awning on busy Colusa Circle in Kensington, near where the township meets the corners of El Cerrito, Albany and Berkeley.

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It is a family-friendly destination with its English-pub food and beer selection, along with a play area for kids.

"I'm getting a lot of flak for wanting to go home," Simpson said. Asked why he's pulling up roots in El Cerrito and Kensington to return to England, he said, "I'm going back for homesickness reasons, and ... to become a 'narrow-boater.' " A narrow boat, he explained to a puzzled Patch editor, is a narrow canal barge suitable for navigating England's many canals. He intends to live on one.

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News of the impending sale was posted by an employee on the pub's Facebook page this past week, but it was later removed because it contained a couple of errors, Simpson said. For one, it said the sale is in escrow, and Simpson told Patch Friday that it's "not quite in escrow yet."

Also the post suggested that employees would be out of a job. Simpson said, "The proposed new owner's wish is to keep as many of the existing employees as he can."

Simpson said the tentative new owner is local, intends to play an active role in running the pub, and intends to keep its name, beers and character. He said it wouldn't be appropriate to name the person at this stage.

"I totally want the new guy to succeed," Simpson said.

You can click here for a short interview with Simpson published by El Cerrito Patch in September 2010.


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