Oakman Inns & Restaurants Ltd was founded in 2007, embodied by its first venture, The Akeman in Tring, Hertfordshire. Led by Chief Executive Peter Borg-Neal, Oakman Inns established the unique concept of the ‘modern public house’, and the company’s success has been founded on this market niche.
Offering an imaginative Mediterranean and modern British food menu, Oakman Inns are characterised by cooking methods including the Josper Oven and the Wood-Fired Oven, with emphasis on freshness, quality and taste.
As new venues have been added to the portfolio there was also the addition of several sites with hotel rooms, beginning with The Kings Arms, Berkhamsted in 2010. The opening of The Beech House Beaconsfield established a landmark move for the company into a more modern High Street vision by converting a former retail outlet which has since been repeated with the opening of four other Beech House venues.
Over the past decade a successful expansion plan has been undertaken building a portfolio of over twenty venues adding further sites in Hertfordshire as well as venues in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Warwickshire and Berkshire.
As Oakman Inns has grown the company have become aware of it’s effect on the world around them and have made changes to the way the business operates to lessen its impact on the environment, most recently announcing their intention to eradicate the consumption of single use plastics within the group.
From the early days, Oakman Inns have been recognised for their work. Within the industry the company have won multiple Publican Awards over the years including Best Employer and Best Community Pub Operator. For the past five years the company have been listed in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, receiving a three star accreditation for the past four years, and in November 2017 they were one of 40 UK companies recognised by The Princess Royal Training Award for training excellence.