The Drovers Arms in Skipwith, near York, has seen customer covers rise 30%, from 29,710 in 2023/24 to 38,683 in 2025/26, while average spend per head has increased by around 17%.
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The pub, operated by Graham Usher and Matthew Rose of MATTGRAY Hospitality, underwent a £150,000 refurbishment in 2024, including improvements to its interiors, heating system, windows and doors.
Food sales have since increased 62% over two years and now account for around 72% of total sales, while electricity costs have fallen by approximately a third and gas costs by a fifth.
Speaking to The Morning Advertiser (MA), MATTGRAY Hospitality managing director Graham Usher said the decision to reinvest had been central to the pub’s performance.
“It would have been easy to sit tight a couple of years ago and wait for things to settle, but we decided to reinvest instead.”
He added that maintaining a consistent food offer and attracting customers from beyond the village, which has fewer than 300 residents, were essential to sustaining trade.
The pub’s garden huts and tipi also support year-round outdoor dining, while its dog-friendly bar helps maintain local midweek trade.
Rising cost pressures
Despite the growth, Usher warned that increasing operating costs continued to put pressure on margins.
The pub’s food costs rose 16% last year, while employer national insurance costs increased 47%, business rates doubled and wages rose 10%.
“Honestly, the Budget was very disappointing. There was very little in it to support hospitality,” he said.
“Costs keep rising, and there was no movement on VAT, despite the industry campaigning so hard for it.”
However, trading has remained resilient, with covers within 1% of last year’s levels and sales up just under 2% in the current year.
Christmas outlook
The pub recently won Gold for Best Pub at the YorkMix Choice Awards 2026, marking its fourth major award in five years.
Usher said Christmas bookings were already ahead of last year, with Christmas Day fully booked since May and limited availability remaining for Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
“For 2027 we’re cautiously optimistic. Christmas is looking strong, and we’ll keep investing where guests notice it, but we’re watching every line more closely than ever.”
He added that the key to sustaining rural pub trade was understanding customers, maintaining consistency and monitoring costs closely.
