Young entrepreneur opens Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range

Just several months ago, George Robinson was working as a trainee solicitor after spending five years studying for a masters at Northumbria University. 

But now, the Eaglescliffe burger boss is serving hungry punters from his new takeaway Par and Patty, located at Yarm Driving Range. 

And despite only being open since July, the 25-year-old, who has since left his paralegal job to focus on the venture full time, has been met with plenty of praise for his “five star” food.

The project has been months in the making for George, who has transformed one of the driving range’s golf ball storage containers into a quirky and modern takeaway. 

With George in the kitchen and mum Adrienne behind the till, he’s seen hundreds of orders come through across summer as the venue continues to go from strength to strength. 

George Robinson has launched Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

The former Egglescliffe School student told The Northern Echo: “I wasn’t happy with my job, it was something I did not enjoy. 

“And then my girlfriend came up with the idea [for Par and Patty]; she knows I love cooking, and I thought, why not just go for it?” 

Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

George said he has had a love of food and cooking stretching back many years, which no doubt made the decision to start the business an easier one.

“It stems back to my mam”, he explained. “She did everything in the summer, like bbqs, at our house. It has just grown from a love of food and making good food.” 
 

Getting the ball rolling

It was last November when a conversation with Yarm Driving Range got the ball rolling on what eventually became Par and Patty. 

The driving range, which has been booming since a refurb in 2023, had previously housed artisan pizza firm Greedy Ted’s before it relocated to Guisborough in 2024. 

Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

And the pizza venue’s success was one of the things that spurred George on to give it a go. 

“I just spoke to Charlie [at Yarm Driving Range] and asked him. They had Greedy Ted’s before and another woman came down and tried something too. 

“I had seen how well it had worked with Greedy Ted’s so I thought why not.”

Along with the help of family and friends, George got to work on transforming the golf storage around April. 

How the golf storage cabin used to look (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

He admitted it took “a lot longer than anticipated” - roughly three months - and was the result of tireless nights after shifts at work. 

He joked: “It’s the first time I have ever done any DIY!” 

Thousands of pounds has been spent on renovating the site, including adding new flooring, cladding the outside with wooden panels, and building a new kitchen and service counter from scratch - plus some decorative touches.

How the golf storage cabin used to look (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Then came sourcing the ingredients - and George eventually settled on meat sourced from the nearby Hutchinson Hobbs Farm Shop and buns from the Brickyard Bakery in Guisborough.

He explained: “We went for a long time looking for the right bun. 

“We tried a few different bakeries and that is where Ed [from Brickyard Bakery] came in. He was always asking what we wanted to do and the bun was the best we have had.” 

And then came finding the right name: “It took a long while and there were a lot of different versions. My girlfriend came up with the final name. 

The jalapeño popper - double smashed patties, jalapeño cream cheese, American cheese and bacon jam (Image: PAR AND PATTY)

“I didn’t want something that would solely be attached to golf.” 

After months of work, Par and Patty soft launched in July, something that went “really well”. 

He continued: “In the first opening week we sold out twice. We ran out of buns and ran out of meat - it was a learning curve from there on out.”

George, who has had several other jobs over the years working for the likes of Tomahawk Steakhouse in Newcastle and Potto and Pizza Express, said he has deliberately started small with a range of four mouth-watering burgers.

The Oklahoma - Double beef patties smashed into thinly sliced onions, American cheese, shredded lettuce and pickle (Image: PAR AND PATTY)

They include the original (lettuce, pickles, and house sauce), the Oklahoma (onion, lettuce, pickles, and house sauce), the jalapeno popper (jalapeno cream cheese and bacon jam) and the nduja (lettuce, picks, nduja, and chipotle mayo). 

All burgers are served with crinkle cut fries and double patties with cheese - with a series of dips and fries also up for grabs. 

Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO) Par and Patty at Yarm Driving Range (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

And when it comes to the future, George says “anything is possible”, including the potential for adding an outdoor seating area overlooking the driving range. 

He said: “The driving range has been fantastic, you couldn’t get a better landlord. It is always about what they can do to help me.”

Par and Patty is open from Wednesday to Saturday between 5pm and 9pm, and you can reserve a slot for collection online. Walk-ins may also be available.

You can follow them on Instagram via @par.and.patty.