Creative thinking

Apart from the horse brasses and the floral red carpet, what's the first thing to go when an enterprising couple enter the pub game and head down the...

Apart from the horse brasses and the floral red carpet, what's the first thing to go when an enterprising couple enter the pub game and head down the road marked quality food? That's right, the chef.

But that wasn't the case at the Harris Arms in the village of Portgate on the Cornwall-Devon border, where hosts Andy and Rowena Whiteman saw the potential in Tim Treseder and decided to keep him on.

"Some of the food was OK but a lot was microwaved," says Rowena, recalling the offering before they took over the pub in December 2003. "Tim was a keen chef but the owners were a bit nervous about letting him do too much.

"But he was one of the reasons we settled on this pub to buy, because he cooked us a steak that was the best we'd ever had.

"When we met him and asked who his food heroes were, it was obvious he'd travelled around and worked in a lot of other pubs that we'd been in.

"We decided there was compatibility in the type of food we liked, which is Mediterranean and modern English, so we said he could do what he wanted and use some of his

creativity."

Among the other pubs on Treseder's CV are the Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire, and the Pheasant in Keyston, Cambridgeshire.

"They've given me more of a free range in the kitchen and encouraged me to source locally," he says. "It's made the job a more interesting challenge for me."

Examples from the starters list include home-made fishcakes on a bed of creamed leeks (£6.50) and local game terrine with red onion and apricot chutney (£5.75). Among the mains are pumpkin and thyme risotto with courgettes, sun-dried tomatoes and a herb dressing (£8.95) and a "Ploughman's with

attitude", including apple and cider-brandy chutney (£7.75).

The business has benefited from retaining Treseder as an asset, with a growing reputation on the back of numerous regional and national awards for its food, and the Whitemans being named Licensees of the Year in this year's Good Pub Guide.

Although Rowena modestly suggests the latest accolade was down to teamwork, she's savvy enough to realise the power of such positive publicity, gleaned from a previous life in sales and marketing.

While many pubs rely on the nebulous idea of "word of mouth", the Whitemans actively market their pub and set aside a five-figure sum each year to do so (see box).

Rowena says: "A lot of the reason pubs don't do advertising is because they don't budget for it, so when the right opportunity comes along they can't afford it."

Another key to success is adapting to the changing fortunes of the market, both long-term and seasonal.

Although aiming for 65% to 70% GP on food, it's not written in stone.

"You have to be aware of what the market will stand at any time of the year," says Andy. "Outside of the main summer season we might have some cheaper dishes on the menu because we want people to carry on coming.

"We have a management meeting every week to discuss what's selling and what's not and whether we think anything is too

expensive."

Mid-week sales booster

Another tool for driving off-season food sales has been food and wine evenings, held every other month on Wednesdays. Themes have included Australia, Italy, France and Spain.

"It's attracting a lot of different people from outside our area and we get fully booked," says Rowena.

Andy adds: "For the Spanish evening we had a pub full of about 60 people, when ordinarily on a Wednesday you'd only do 20 for dinner. It's a very good marketing tool."

Another aspect on which the Harris Arms' reputation has been built is its wine list.

In between their corporate life and buying the pub, the Whitemans took time out to learn how to make wine in New Zealand, even winning an award for their Pinot Gris.

Back in Devon, they've used their experiences to build a first-rate list.

"When we first took over the pub we were told we'd never sell a bottle of wine over £10," says Andy. "Now, we sell a lot of wine in the £12-£25 bracket, but in the winter it'll be lots of bottles of claret, which means they're spending anything from £25 to £35. We have regulars who come in and spend more on a bottle of wine than they do on the food."

There are between 60 and 70 bins at any one time on the list, with 20 available by the

glass.

Andy adds: "At the bottom end, we work on a GP mark-up, and then a cash margin on the more expensive ones, so basically the further you go up the list the more value you're

getting."

Now, part of the Harris Arms garden has been planted with a number of vines of the three grape varieties that go into making Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Maybe in a few years they'll be toasting new successes with a glass of their own fizz.

Five-figure spend to pull the punters

The Harris Arms' commitment to marketing paid dividends, according to Rowena Whiteman, who handles PR and marketing for the pub herself.

"We're both from sales and marketing backgrounds," she says. "I used to run direct mail and advertising campaigns, so I understand about it being measurable, and knowing how it's helped increase your sales. Whenever new customers come to us I always ask them how they've heard about us. There's no doubt the best one is getting in the Good Pub Guide."

The pub regularly places ads in Devon Life magazine, and a regional magazine called Food.

"We went for Devon Life because I knew the profile of the type of person who would read it: probably lives in London and has a second home down in Devon and comes down on holiday and spends money. I knew that sort of person would understand what we were doing with the pub."

Many other pubs in the area have

followed the Whitemans' lead. "You've got to up the ante all the time," says Rowena, "When we first advertised it was almost unheard of."

Andy adds that advertising can

kick-start a process that gains its own momentum.

"People say word of mouth is the

most valuable marketing you can get,"

he says. "And it is, if you're getting

personal recommendations from people,

but if people don't know anything about

you in the first place they won't come to you.

"The bottom line is you've got to

let people know what you're doing and