Masons Restaurant in Brentwood shut for major refurbishment

Masons in Ingrave Road shut on Monday (July 22) as part of a million-pound refurb which includes the demolition of its conservatory.

The British restaurant has been standing for 25 years, opened by owner Matthew Mason in 1999, and survived a major kitchen fire in 2018 which forced it to close for months.

General manager Jay Ashmore, who has been there for ten years, announced Masons has planned to reopen on August 17 this year.

He said they were forced to adapt due to Covid, the kitchen fire and financial pressures but feels this has contributed to its longevity. 

"As you can imagine to be shut for three-and-a-half months isn't an easy thing," Jay said of the fire.

"We've just been so fortunate in what Matthew has been able to reserve [money-wise] to get us through."

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Masons was formerly The Fountain's Head pub, Jay said, and was bought by Matthew in 1999 who extended the premises and opened it late that year.

Masons was formerly a pub (Image: Masons Restaurant)

Since then, Masons has operated as a popular Essex restaurant, with many positive reviews online.

In 2018, the premises had a huge kitchen fire which threatened to tear through the rest of the building.

"We were really fortunate it didn't extend to the front of house," Jay said.

But Matthew and Jay were able to reopen Masons a few months after what could have been a devastating event.

The premises shut again during the Covid pandemic and operated a delivery service for four months, but have been open again since.

This month they have shut again but to facilitate a wider refurb, style change and menu revamp.

"The whole exterior is changing," Jay said. "We're having booths put in, our conservatory totally demolished and rebuilt.

"This is in three-and-a-half weeks," he added.

Refurb works inside Masons (Image: Masons Restaurant)

The general manager added that Masons will be looking to recruit when it reopens and is keen to hire people in Brentwood.

He said he and Matthew hope the restaurant will be open for a further 25 years following that, even given the challenges the hospitality sector faces.

According to data from accountancy firm Price Bailey, restaurant closures surged to their highest ever figure in the final quarter of 2023.

When asked why Masons is opting for major changes at this time, Jay said: "Now is the time to keep going - a lot of people are tightening their belts and rightly so, but I thought let's go for it while we can and be here for another 25 years."

Jay credits Masons' success to his partnership with Matthew, who he said spends 98 per cent of time in the kitchen, while he engages with people front of house.

"People," Jay said was the biggest draw to the job. "I love working with people and to have them go in is great, and see them leaving happy."

Masons plans to reopen next month with an altered tapas menu, marking a change from its set menu.