Punch delivers instant food solutions for pubs

by Ewan Turney

Punch Taverns has unveiled a series of seven food solution packages to help its licensees capitalise on the increasing popularity of pub food.

Food Solutions offers lessees and tenants with little previous catering experience seven different routes into the market, ranging from pies and pasties to a special one-to-one consultancy programme. Some solutions can even be run from pubs without kitchens.

'Food Solutions makes it simple by packaging everything together equipment, ingredients, marketing material and so on, said catering development manager Steve Schaffer. 'We've teamed up with some of the finest names in the industry and used our buying power to negotiate exclusive discounts for Punch Taverns pubs, and with profit margins of up to 75% on certain solutions, the business benefits for our retailers are extensive.

Pauline Dryden, of the Starting Gate in Newbury, Berkshire, has already increased food sales by using the Gastroline solution. All food comes with a barcode which is scanned into the Gastroline combination oven to cook the item correctly. The system is designed to eliminate human error and wastage.

'The equipment is so easy to use I can offer food all day, run the pub single-handedly or simply leave it in the hands of the bar staff, she said. 'We have gone from zero food sales between Monday and Saturday to serving 15 meals a day.

The solutions

1. Toastabags toasted sandwiches

2. Pies and pasties supplied frozen and ready cooked. Ovens and warming cabinets can also be sourced

3. Panini includes prefilled paninis, a grill and marketing kit

4. Pizza up to 10 different varieties of pizza plus a compact pizza oven

5. Indian traditional meals which cook in the microwave. Includes menus, posters and carry-out bags for takeaways

6. Gastroline food has unique barcode scanned in to the oven to cook correctly

7. Consultancy one-to-one service to develop a complete new menu