Sharing takes off

TAKING ADVANTAGE of the flexibility offered by extended pub opening hours hasn't always been as simple for the trade as it might seem.

Matching customer demand to staff availability as we adapt traditional menus to the more casual dining patterns of all-day opening can be a challenge.

One pub rising to the task is the Red Lion at Toddington, Berkshire. The village pub has been run for the past 18 years by Enterprise Inns lessees Lawrence and Babs Wilson, giving them plenty of experience in adapting to changing customer demands.

Duties at the market square pub are divided between the family - Lawrence is head chef, Babs looks after the bar, and son Daniel supports them across the business, focusing particularly on marketing.

The new licensing regime saw trading hours extended on Thursdays to Sundays. Sunday lunch, now served from noon until 5pm, has proved a particular success and is usually fully booked, while locals also enjoy the later 1am closing on Saturday nights.

With the pub's main customers being couples and younger groups, modern dishes and snack-style meals have become more popular. The pub recently started offering two sharing platter combos as a late-evening snack.

Daniel says: "We have a traditional menu that we know our regulars love and we refresh on a regular basis. However, we do have people who just come in to drink and in the past we only provided crisps and nuts or sometimes a cold buffet for the pub darts and pool teams.

"Since offering the combo range after 9pm we have been really delighted with the reaction. They have proved popular, especially with pub teams who want to drink after matches and have a hot snack."

A new Friday night grill menu using chicken and prawn sharing platters from Moy Park Foodservice is becoming very popular.

"We always look in the trade press for inspiration so customers never get tired and want to go elsewhere," says Daniel. "Combos have provided an additional sales opportunity and are a convenient product to prepare."