Take a first look inside Sunderland's revamped city centre Yates bar

The Burdon Road branch of the chain has underwent a total refurbishment thanks to the investment from owners Stonegate.

Jamie Thompson, general manager of the branch, hopes the new-look pub will go down a hit with punters when it opens on Saturday.

“The revamp has been planned for the last six to eight months, but the work itself has only taken about four weeks,” he said.

“I think the place was a little bit past its time, so the revamp has made it a lot more contemporary – I think it is now one of the better venues in Sunderland at the moment.”

As part of the revamp, Yates’ in-house design team has made the branches lighting softer and installed new furnishings, which includes trendy seating and exposed brick walls to give it a modern feel.

Jamie, who was manager of the Yates branches in Skegness and in York before taking on the Sunderland role, said the investment has seen Yates take on 11 new members of staff to make up a 20-strong team. He added: “All our staff are really excited about opening, as they have seen it transformed from what it was before to what it is now.

“We know that Sunderland has a really strong community feel, so we hope it will be at the centre of the community.”

The pub which is well-known for its food, has also incorporated many new dishes on its new spring menu and new drink offers, including two-for-one cocktails every day, £1.50 drinks on Fridays and more than 20 types of gin.

There will also be a DJ or band on Friday and Saturday nights.

Jamie added: “We are hoping the pub will attract families during the day for breakfast and lunch, then the workers on an evening and a more lively crowd on weekends.”

l Yates will open on Saturday, from 9am until 1am.