West Country

The Cow

Parkstone, Dorset

David Sax has certainly got the Midas touch. He used to run a financial consultancy practice, and business often coincided with a visit to a gastropub. He says: "I thought, 'I'd love to do that'. I had an epiphany moment and revalued my lifestyle."

With the capital from selling his practice, David soon tracked down and bought the Parkstone Hotel from Eldridge Pope.

So bad it was perfect

"It was a community pub, but it was so bad the community wasn't coming in. Your shoes stuck to the carpet, and the upstairs function room was completely filled with a Scalextric track that a local club paid £10 per week to rent. It was awful, but I knew it was perfect for me."

After an eight-month closure for a £350,000 refurbishment, the renamed Cow opened for business in August 2003. From annual takings of just £75,000, David has transformed the outlet into one with a current turnover "north of £1m".

Three revenue streams

The Cow is effectively three businesses under one roof. There is a comfortable lounge bar, predominantly for drinkers. A stylish bistro bar with room for 60 covers has been installed in one corner of the building.

Upstairs, the Scalextric track has gone and the function room has been transformed into a sumptuous private dining room, which also hosts special events such as wine and food evenings. David says demand has been such that functions are held in the room almost every other day.

A hit from day one

David readily confesses that he was totally unprepared for the pulling power exerted by the pub on the local community. "They were queuing outside the door. We ran out of beer on the first night and had to get more from the local tennis club."

He adds with a laugh: "Word got around that a lunatic had bought the pub and named it after an ex-girlfriend. So I think curiosity brought them in for the first time."

That first-time visit has now changed into regular visits for many people.