Popular Exeter Quayside bar's independent era to end after 20 years

The team behind On The Waterfront in Exeter have announced that the venue's 20 years as an independently run business will come to an end at the close of 2026, after Punch Pubs decided not to renew their lease.

In a post on Facebook, the current operators said their lease is coming to an end and that Punch Pubs will take the venue back in early January 2027, with plans to run it as a Managed Partnership following a full refurbishment. The business said On The Waterfront itself is not disappearing, but that the independently run version of the venue, including what they described as its famous pizzas, will be coming to an end.

Punch Pubs & Co is a UK pub and bar operator with around 1,300 leased pubs across the country, headquartered in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire.

On The Waterfront has been based on Exeter Quay for 41 years, with the current team running it independently for the last 20 of those. In their statement, the operators said: "We've made it our own and created the Waterfront you know and love today, from our famous pizzas and cocktails to bottomless brunches, birthdays, live entertainment, Christmas parties and countless celebrations."

They added: "On The Waterfront has been part of Exeter Quay for 41 years, and we know how much this place means to so many people. First dates, graduations, birthdays, Christmas parties, family meals, nights out and sunny afternoons on the Quay, so many memories have been made here."

The business said it intends to keep operating as normal throughout the rest of 2026, and is encouraging customers to continue visiting before the change takes place. The statement read: "We've still got the rest of 2026 ahead of us, and we intend to make every bit of it count," listing food, brunches, birthdays, Christmas parties, cocktails and live events among what remains on offer before the end of the year.