A little imagination and a lot of planning can represent great profit opportunities, both in terms of food sales and increased wet sales. Fiona Pavely offers ideas for licensees planning a theme night.
"The objectives of a theme night are simple. They need to be designed to improve profitability; to keep your customers interested and loyal; and to generate new customers," says Ian Anderson, foodservice controller of Emile Tissot.
While the additional trade may seem very attractive, theme nights require a great deal of foresight and planning.
"One of the keys to successfully maximising profit through theme nights is to concentrate your efforts on your off-peak nights in order to build new trade at times when you normally struggle to make sales," Mr Anderson added. "Why not give yourself a head start on the competition by finding some quirky local events to celebrate rather than sticking to the well-publicised football and national events?"
Shane Record of Brake Bros commented: "Theme nights make your own pub image that bit more dynamic, enhancing your reputation. They create a good atmosphere and nights like these tend to get strangers talking to each other building relationships, which is what a pub's all about."
Loyalty
Licensee Sally Cadogan, from The Gate in Barnet, is convinced of the success of theme nights and sees them as "an extremely good way of introducing new food types.
"We have run Indian, Greek and Italian theme nights - but we do plan to run a Chinese theme night in celebration of Chinese New Year (see Entertainment, page 48)," she said. Customers are encouraged to keep coming back with the aid of a loyalty scheme. If a group of four comes to four theme nights in a row, on the fourth visit one member of the party eats for free.
Sally also explained that, since her theme nights are organised with ticket sales, one of the major benefits is that she knows how many covers she has to cater for, thereby minimising wastage.
But it is not just the food that heightens customers' experience - one key factor according to Sally is the attention to detail. "We try to give our events an authentic flavour and this goes way beyond the food that is served. For example, on a Chinese theme night we would ensure that the food is served in Chinese bowls and that the pub was made to feel like a little piece of China. We even get our staff to dress up in appropriate costumes," she explained.
Innovative
Innovative menus can also help to draw in the crowds. Brake Bros suggests that for a murder mystery evening dishes such as Agatha Crispy (crispy prawn parcels) or Fowl Play (skewered chicken) should be served, followed by Crime of Passion (passion cake) or Death by Chocolate.
Not only are theme nights good for customer loyalty, they also represent profit opportunities, as Rose Cunnigham, licensee of the Old Crown in Fleckney, Leicestershire, can testify.
Every six weeks Rose lays on a theme night to discourage customers from taking a taxi into the neighbouring town to eat at a restaurant. With this in mind, however, Rose is very conscious of the cost per head. At most theme nights she offers a choice of three starters, main courses and desserts, but these prices have to be competitive. "I can't start charging the same sort of prices as a restaurant," she explained.
Both Sally and Rose, seasoned theme night organisers, recognise that the spoils of such intense organisation can be great. Rose has found that not only does profitability rise with food sales, wet sales are also higher on these evenings. "Customers seem to want to drink more at theme nights," she said.
Thinking themes
Quizzes: These a great way of attracting regular custom every week
Sporting events: Check out the football, cricket, rugby and tennis calendar and tie in your event around these
Local celebrations: From the town's birthday to the annual fun run, tap into local history and try to uncover a quirky local angle
Cuisine themes: Emulate a type of cuisine from around the world, whether it be Italian, Chinese, Indian, American or even Japanese, and offer themed menus and drinks with an authentic, but fun, accent
Calendar events: There are some events on the calendar that naturally lend themselves to a pub theme night: Halloween; Bonfire Night; Valentine's Day; Mother's Day, St Patrick's Day, Burns Night and Christmas
Use your imagination: The sky is the limit, why not try one of these suggestions from Brake Bros? School Days (with spotted dick, packed lunches and fish pie), Pirates and Wives, Murder Mystery, Rock and Roll, 60s or 70s, Cops and Robbers, Vicars and Tarts or Doctors and Nurses
Top theme night tips
Utilise the backing of your suppliers. Ask them if they offer any tips on running themed events. Some, such as Brake Bros, produce detailed advice in the form of an event planner and will even get your themed menus printed for you free of charge.
These events take meticulous planning to be successful. Give yourself at least a month to get organised. Make sure you put together a checklist or plan of action to make it happen.
Source decoration for your pub that is in keeping with the themed event. For example, if your theme night is focused on a particular cuisine/country, use the country's flag colours to enhance the theme - or find out about the national flowers of the country
People are key to making any event a success. So think about your customers. Can you target more customers than your already have? Could you ask them to recommend your establishment to a friend or colleague and then give them a promotional offer? For everyone inviting a friend along could you offer four meals for the price of three?
Publicise well in advance and issue tickets, even if they are free, otherwise your enthusiasm could be wasted on a low turn-out. Use posters in windows, chalkboards, leaflets and photos taken at previous events to attract attention.
Choose music to match your theme. Libraries usually have a selection of music from all over the world on CD or tape, which is available for hire. Alternatively, try to find a live band for the evening.
Consider making the event fancy dress. Offer incentives for those getting into the spirit such as a prize for the best costume, or lower the price of drinks for those coming in the right kit.
Choose drinks and cocktails from the country or to match the theme. Many traditional cocktails could have their names changed to match your own event.
In terms of pricing, why not offer a free dessert with a main course from your special event menu or build in the cost of a drink and offer a complete package? Many people like the idea of knowing what their complete meal will cost.
Use the internet to find out information about the type of event you are trying to emulate. Source themed decorations and bunting to create ambience.