News digest
A round-up of the month's pub food news
Coping with changing habits
Pubs will have to be more innovative with their offer to impress the next generation of customers, according to research by consultancy HIM.
Findings suggest the average lunch "hour" in 2010 will last 18 minutes - completely changing how customers go about their midday meal. HIM predicts customers will want to pre-order and prepay for meals. HIM said: "Consumers will become increasingly harsh customers - the pub will either deliver against its needs or it won't."
HIM also suggests that children are the future and pubs should take a leaf out of Pizza Express and Strada's books to become more family friendly.
Menu improvements at C&B
The Spirit Group is improving the food offering at its 133 Chef & Brewer pubs.
The managed arm of Punch Taverns is improving the quality of its menu by using more British produce and increasing its focus on fresh ingredients. The new menu includes Scottish seared salmon and asparagus salad, and ricotta, spinach and Sicilian lemon ravioloni.
With an increased emphasis on provenance, the menu includes 35-day matured beef for all steaks and burgers, British farm-assured chicken and free-range Breckland duck. The company is also now offering flexible table service, where customers can order at the bar or table.
Beafeater's contemporary take
Whitbread has launched a more contemporary menu at Beefeater as part of its remodelling of the brand.
The company has invested £45m revamping its 129 Beefeater sites to give them a more modern feel, including more stylish decor, with 118 pubs so far converted and the remaining 11 due for completion by the end of June. It has seen a 35% rise in sales in sites already converted.
The new grill restaurant menu focuses on fresh, grilled dishes such as steaks and seafood, including rock lobster, sea bass and swordfish.
New website for Admiral licensees
Admiral Taverns has launched a website to help its licensees improve their food offering.
Mypubfood.co.uk aims to help Admiral tenants maximise existing food sales or introduce a new food offer. Sections include food hygiene, with details of online training courses, tips on how to do daily logs to ensure best food-safety practice and other useful food training courses.
Admiral Taverns' head of food Sam Pedder said: "The smoking ban will give our licensees the opportunity to create a new or increased stream of revenue through food sales."
O'Neill's looks to a premium offer
Mitchells & Butlers is offering a more premium menu at selected O'Neill's pubs.
The new menu is available in 10 sites and includes 8oz Irish sirloin steak with a Jameson whiskey sauce, blackened salmon and colcannon, and red snapper. The menu is being offered in sites in-cluding Trinity Street, Cardiff; St Mary Street, Car-
diff; Great Marlborough Street, Liverpool; Muswell
Hill, London, and Broad Street, Birmingham.
