TV fame booster

Kevin Wainwright tells Ewan Turney how he and partner David Little increased turnover four-fold within three years with the help of a TV documentary at the Bear & Bells in Beccles, Suffolk

How we got here

I used to be an actor in West End musicals and appeared in Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma. David ran a waste-management firm. We wanted to get out of the rat race in London. We both love food and dreamed of running a bistro or a restaurant. The problem with those types of premises is you invariably have to lease them and there is no living accommodation. So, we found a pub that was not food-led.

I guess there were a few transferable skills with David; he has the skills to deal with the managerial side, the workforce and the accountancy side. As a former actor, meeting and greeting, and socialising and entertaining are in my blood, so I look after front of house. David is also the chef.

How we turned the pub around

When we arrived the turnover was just £180,000. We have managed to increase trade, mainly through the food side. Before we got here all the food was frozen. Our first step was to introduce a specials board with three starters, three mains and three desserts. We now have a full menu that is made up of locally-sourced fresh produce. It is restaurant-quality food at pub prices. The success was almost instant because we had found a niche and the competition was sparse.

While we concentrated on the food, we were adamant we would not neglect the pub side. If you have hard times you always have the drink sales to fall back on. Your regulars are the ones that pay the mortgage.

We have decorated and have changed a lot over the three years, but it has been gradual and we never closed as we used to carry out work between three and five in the afternoon when we shut. Within three years, turnover has now reached £680,000.

Our TV documentary

When we were looking to buy a pub, we were approached by a TV company making a documentary series called Life Begins Again, hosted by Gaby Roslin. They wined and dined us and we agreed to do it. There was no pay in it, but it was a boost for our business. The camera crew filmed us for 18 months, while we looked to find a pub and for the first four months or so actually at the pub. It was good fun and we arrived in a blaze of glory in the village with camera crew in tow.

It sparked great local coverage when we arrived and the local paper did a spread on us, which really helped business. The documentary was only just screened in April, two years after filming stopped, which has also meant there has been national interest. But, at the end of the day, it has been the quality of the food and drink that has increased trade, not the documentary.

Our tough learning curve

The hardest thing about running a pub was that from day one we were on our own and didn't know anything about anything, from paying wages to how to treat real ale.

We did a three-day training course to get our licence, but we pretty much learnt as we went along or learnt from our staff. Most of the customers also seem to be experts in running a pub! The hours are the single hardest thing to cope with. Within one month I could have walked away. You hardly get any sleep. But I am glad I didn't, as it is well worth it now.

Our function room

We converted an old skittle alley into a function room. It wasn't all that much work and now we hire it out four or five times a week. It can be used for meetings, conferences, small wedding receptions or private dining. It really has proved its weight in gold.

We have an amateur dramatics society that uses it and puts on performances about twice a year. That also helps to bring people into the pub. It is hired out twice a day at Christmas and as we only have a small restaurant - it seats 24 - it has allowed us that extra capacity. We can fit around 40 in for dinner. The private-dining option has been popular and is not too much more work either - and you can charge more. I would say to any licensee, if you have a spare room, don't leave it idle.

Our website

We inherited a website (www.bearandbells.co.uk) but updated it. These days having a website is very important and it was especially so for us with the TV programme, because there was national interest. On the day the programme went out, the website crashed as it got so many hits. A lot of people book a table through our website.

It is very important you keep your website up to date and it is worth paying someone to do it properly for you. You also have to make sure that it gives an honest and decent portrayal of your pub, or people may be disappointed when they turn up and don't find what they were expecting.

Our plan for the ban

To be honest the smoke ban was one of our major concerns in taking over a pub. I am totally anti-smoking and I think we would have gone no smoking at some point. We have tables in the bar area, but people don't want to sit and eat there, because of the smoke. We have added some new outdoor furniture and a lovely beer garden. It was voted best in bloom in Beccles in 2005 and 2006. With the quality of our food offering, I actually think the ban will be positive for us.

Our plan for the future

When we arrived we had a five-year plan, which we have now achieved, so we need to maintain what we have got and catch our breath. We are looking for another place to go and do something similar. It needs to be about half an hour away from here, so that it does not impinge on the Bear & Bells market; we need to find the kind of place that will work with our type of offer.

My Pub

Tenure: Freehold

Price: £450,000

Turnover in 2004: £180,000

Turnover now: £680,000

Wet:Dry split: 50%:50%

GP food: 60%

GP beer: 60%

Meals per week: 500

Staff: 14, three full-time