The Challenge 

Formerly known as Bardwell Sports Pavilion the venue has changed its name to The Grumpy Goat as part of their new focus on becoming a popular dining destination in Suffolk that is open to all.

Bardwell Sports Pavilion opened in February 2020 to replace the previous clubhouse on Spring Lane.  The pavilion is home to both Bardwell Cricket Club and Bardwell Football Club and will continue to be so under their new name of The Grumpy Goat.  

The Grumpy Goat is a fantastic facility to have for local residents and the sports clubs, but chairman Stephen Larder felt that others should be able to visit the club and enjoy the great food and real ale that is on offer there.  This led to the decision to rebrand so that people knew that the venue is open to all, not just members of the sports clubs.

The Solution

The new brand needed to be fun and engaging for all audiences, removing any stigma that the venue was just for local people or the sports team.  

The menu available at The Grumpy Goat is very different to that of a ‘traditional clubhouse’ and it was important for this message to be portrayed. 

Both the cricket and football clubs that use the pavilion have a goat in their logos which is where the idea came for the name The Grumpy Goat.  

The How

The original plans for rebranding included a launch party, but obviously, that wasn’t possible due to the coronavirus restrictions,, but we weren’t going to let that keep us down!  Instead, we opted for a soft launch of the new brand with a new takeaway menu providing top quality affordable meals for people to enjoy at home. 

There are future plans for expanding the destination that include opening a cafe and hosting events.  The team also has set its sights on getting The Grumpy Goat listed in the Good Beer Guide for the wide selection of real ales they sell. 

As part of the rebrand new signage was created for the front entrance to help customers easily locate them and the local newspaper wrote an article as the new dining destination. 

The Results

• 80% increase in Facebook followers
• The new brand has already reached 53,000 people on Facebook alone
• The takeaway menu has SOLD OUT every weekend since the rebrand launch

“The new name and takeaway menu have proved very popular, we sold out on Saturday and we certainly have another busy Saturday night ahead of us with the number of orders we have already received. Toolbox has been instrumental in transforming the look and feel of our business through the creation of a new brand. Speedy, responsive, and innovative through the whole process. Great bunch to work with, always adding value.”

– Steve Larder, Manager