After purchasing the Cock Inn, Ringmer, in 2005, for their second venture, the Ridley family looked at several opportunities in the Uckfield area, where the family has lived since 1986. They acquired The Highlands in 2014. The place wasn’t successful before they bought it. Now it is.
The site sits squarely across the top of the town on the south side, looking like it was once a staging post on the way to London from the south coast. The pub has an exhaustive agenda of activities, special nights, brunches, quizzes, and live music evenings. It has just opened a brand-new children’s play park with extra seating at the front, prompting online suggestions of a radical new alliance between the play-date and the wine-date.
Matt says that the Ridley family orientation of strong service values and a determined strategy is focussed not on growth but on wellbeing and good service. Training is a priority. Much value is placed on long term relationships. There is very little staff churn. Chloe Mcintosh, the Area Manager, described the commitment as that of feeling bound to a common cause of good service. One example: I arrived too early for the interview and Chloe made sure that I was not left alone but kept talking to me until Matt arrived – a sign of the genuine spontaneity that lies behind great hospitality.
Matt’s own burgeoning family, as well as that of his brother Nick, are as much part of the job as they are, and other staff are counted as family. Each takes their share of the many tasks and responsibilities involved in the hectic 24/7 life of a modern pub.
Ian Ridley, the family’s father, invested most of his savings in their first acquisition, setting the tone for the next generation. They take their decisions together and the sequence of successful investments they have made gives them a golden ring of confidence. Like many Uckfield businesses, The Highlands works hard for charitable causes. For the Alzheimers’ Society, they provide a monthly lunch at the Ridgewood Village Hall, sponsor local sports teams, and recently hosted a sponsored walk.
Good results and a happy staff are the net outcomes of the family’s determination to provide the best welcome and the best service in Uckfield. The family values of the Highlands will keep the place going for many years to come.