The Cricketers Inn

What The Cricketers Inn does

The Cricketers Inn is a village gastropub located at Wrotham Road, Meopham Green, Gravesend, Kent, operated by WH Pubs Ltd, a privately held family-run pub company founded by Brian Whiting, who began his career at The Savoy. The venue combines traditional British pub hospitality with contemporary dining, offering breakfast, lunch and dinner service seven days a week alongside an Orangery dining space, BBQ and outside area, traditional bar area, and a private garden used for events. The Cricketers Inn was named Gastropub of the Year 2026 for the South of England by the Prestige Awards and operates as part of a five-pub WH Pubs estate (The Bull Otford, The Chaser Inn, The Little Brown Jug, The Rose & Crown, The Cricketers Inn) with a sixth venue, The Old Jail in Biggin Hill, under renovation.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based food and beverage sales to walk-in diners and table reservations, supplemented by private garden events with braai/BBQ experiences and dedicated event coordination, digital and physical gift cards priced from £10 to £500 redeemable across the WH Pubs estate, and an inflatable pub rental sub-brand called 'Your Pub' that provides licensed mobile bar service for festivals, weddings and corporate events. Pricing is per-cover for F&B with deposits required for group bookings of 10 or more guests and for special event dates; gift cards carry 12-month validity. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the venue, a website booking system, phone reservations, Facebook and Instagram organic social presence, email newsletters delivered through Airship, and a calendar of themed events (A Level/GCSE Results Day, British Burger Day, Kingfisher Braai Day, Oktoberfest, Curry Nights, UK Sausage Week, New Year's Eve).

The underlying technology stack is composed of standard hospitality SaaS integrations rather than proprietary platforms: Zonal for booking management, Airship for email marketing, Resend for transactional email, Dojo for payment processing on gift card purchases, and Google Analytics for web traffic analytics. The business has 19 employees, supports no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, and holds no disclosed patents or trademarks beyond its brand identity. Customer concentration is low, with revenue drawn from a fragmented mix of local residents, tourists visiting Kent attractions, and event hosts rather than any named enterprise accounts.

Name

The Cricketers Inn

Legal name

WH Pubs Ltd

Website

https://thecricketersinn.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cricketers Inn is a village gastropub in Meopham, Kent, operated by WH Pubs Ltd, serving walk-in diners, event hosts and tourists with breakfast-through-dinner service, private garden events and a cross-pub gift card program across the WH Pubs estate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gastropub Services

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRANACAB

Pubs & Gastropubs

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/On-Premise Alcohol Retail (Bars, Pubs & Taprooms)

Keywords

• Village gastropub services
• Traditional pub dining
• Private event catering
• British pub hospitality
• Bar and restaurant services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chiddingstone Causeway, Tonbridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Primary revenue from serving meals and drinks to dine-in customers. The pub offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner service with a menu featuring locally sourced British ingredients. Revenue generated through table service and bar sales.
2. Private Events and Celebrations: Revenue from hosting private garden events, celebrations, corporate gatherings, and special occasions. Offers customised menus, dedicated event coordinator, and full bar service for private bookings.
3. Gift Cards: Sale of digital and physical gift cards redeemable at The Cricketers Inn and all other WH Pubs locations across Kent. Gift cards available in denominations from £10 to £500.
4. Booking Deposits: Deposits collected for bookings of 10 or more guests, and for special event dates including Mother's Day, Christmas, and New Year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cricketers Inn is a village gastropub in Meopham, Kent, combining traditional British pub hospitality with contemporary dining. It sells food and beverages across breakfast, lunch, and dinner service in a traditional bar area, an Orangery dining space, and an outdoor BBQ area. It also hosts private garden events with customised menus and offers gift cards redeemable across the WH Pubs estate.

Product overview

The Cricketers Inn is a gastropub offering a unified hospitality experience that combines traditional British pub culture with contemporary dining. The core offering consists of food and dining services alongside pub and bar service, supported by multiple venue spaces (Orangery, BBQ/Outside Area, Bar Area, and Private Garden Events). The business also operates several sub-brands and modules including a seasonal Christmas Day Menu, daily Breakfast Service, award-winning Sunday Roasts, Gift Cards (digital and physical), and a mobile inflatable pub rental service called 'Your Pub'. Regular themed events and entertainment programming forms an additional layer of the offering. Gift cards are redeemable across the WH Pubs estate, linking The Cricketers Inn to sister venues including The Bull Otford, The Chaser Inn, The Little Brown Jug, and The Rose & Crown.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WH Pubs: Parent company brand operating The Cricketers Inn and other pub establishments across Kent
• Your Pub

Products and services

• Food and Dining Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Named Gastropub of the Year 2026 for South of England by Prestige Awards

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ZonalcoreTechnology or IntegrationRestaurant booking service provider used by WH Pubs and The Cricketers Inn. Provides the technology platform for table reservations and booking management. Privacy policy available at zonal.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
• AirshipcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing provider used by WH Pubs for newsletter delivery and promotional email campaigns. Provides statistics around email opening and clicks for marketing analytics. Privacy notice available at airship.com/legal/privacy/.
• DojocoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor used to process gift card purchases. Secure payment platform for online gift card transactions. Privacy policy available at dojo.tech/legal/privacy-policy.
• WH PubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company operating The Cricketers Inn and other Kent pubs including The Bull Otford, The Chaser Inn, The Little Brown Jug, The Rose & Crown, and The Old Jail (under renovation). Founded by Brian Whiting with commitment to excellence traced to The Savoy. Gift cards valid across all WH Pubs venues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Pony and Trap: One Michelin-starred gastropub near Bristol, owned by a chef-operator. Comparable independent chef-led pub business competing for the same premium countryside dining market.
• The Marksman: One Michelin-starred London gastropub. Comparable in offering a chef-led, food-driven pub experience with strong beverage programme, though in a more urban setting.
• The Hand and Flowers: Two Michelin-starred gastropub in Marlow, widely regarded as the benchmark UK gastropub. Directly comparable as an independent, food-led village-style pub with rooms-adjacent premium positioning.
• The Star at Harome: Multi-award-winning rural gastropub in North Yorkshire with rooms. Closely comparable operating model: village location, locally-sourced fine dining in a pub setting, and strong regional destination appeal.
• The Greyhound on the Test: Award-winning rural gastropub in Hampshire with rooms and gardens. Comparable in profile: countryside village location, event-friendly space, and food-led pub positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Shepherd Neame: Britain's oldest brewer and a major Kent-based pub and hotel operator. The most geographically and operationally relevant large-scale incumbent in the same Kent market.
• Fuller, Smith & Turner: Historic London brewer and pub operator with a food-led managed estate. Comparable in operating premium pubs with culinary programmes and heritage branding.
• Greene King: One of the UK's largest pub retailers and brewers, now owned by Molson Coors. Comparable in operating managed and tenanted pubs across the UK with food-led propositions.
• Young's: London-focused pub and brewery group with a portfolio of premium gastropubs. Comparable in targeting food-led, premium pub experiences with a strong beverage range.
• Mitchells & Butlers: One of the UK's largest pub and restaurant operators (Toby Carvery, Harvester, All Bar One, etc.). Comparable as a large-scale UK pub group operating multiple food-led brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCricketersInnMeopham
• Instagraminstagram.com/cricketersinn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cricketers-inn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cricketers Inn