Paul and Jo Stretton-Downes won the Good Pub Guide's Licensees of the Year Award 2007. Humayun Hussain reports
Why my food business is a success
It's all down to my wife Jo and her cooking. She's one of the best chefs I've come across - and I've dealt with quite a few in my time. We don't go for adventurous food at the Bottle & Glass. We focus on pub grub for our locals, who like to know what they're getting.
Why we were chosen as Licensees of the Year
I think the secret lies in being a good, friendly host. Jo and I are almost the perfect double-act: she does her best in the kitchen, while I keep the front-of-house running smoothly. We focus on providing a comfort factor and warm welcome for our customers.
Being located in Picklescott, a small Shropshire village in the middle of nowhere means the environment can become a bit sedate. Everyone tends to be rather conservative, socially. So I try to ensure that the atmosphere at the Bottle & Glass is lively and jovial.
Being a bit of Champagne socialist myself, I encourage debate about politics, religion or anything under the sun. If you don't have discussions, how can you expect to learn anything new?
How I recruit and motivate staff
A country setting means that people looking for work gravitate to us - the pub is one of the few places in this area offering employment opportunities. A lot of youngsters ask for jobs here, and I make no bones about the fact that I employ teenagers.
If they don't work, what else are they going to do, except get bored and cause mischief? We give them a sound working environment where they can learn about dealing with people and gain confidence before moving on to university. As for motivation - they are paid a decent wage and have friendly surroundings. Jo and I make sure we look after them.
My best-selling dishes
Jo's pâtés go down well. For starters, prawn and red pepper pâté or Port, Stilton and celery pâté - both £4.50 - sell well, and mussels in cream, garlic and white wine (£6.50) are popular. Best-selling mains are steak, kidney and Guinness pie with chips and vegetables (£10.50); fish pie with smoked haddock, prawns and egg, topped with mashed potato and served with salad (£10.50); and rib-eye steak with beer-battered onion rings, chips and salad. Our most popular puddings are rhubarb and ginger fool, sticky toffee pudding, and poached peaches in white wine (4.50).
Our menu
It's important that we stick to our tried-and-tested dishes - we only tweak the menu every so often. As soon as you start taking off or
fiddling with popular items, our regulars are up in arms. No pub can afford to offend its regulars. Our biggest GP is 80% on soup.
Giving value for money
Fair pricing is an essential part of our ethos. I've run several pubs and it's clear that each has its strengths and weaknesses. This is my seventh. If you happen to be based in this type of rural setting, pricing and good cooking are at the heart of your food offer.
We have to keep prices keen and portions large because as a village pub we rely on local trade. Even with the wines, I focus on keeping bills low - so we only offer a white wine and a red wine, at £12 per bottle, along with one rosé, one sparkling wine and one Champagne.
Marketing and PR
We only rely on word of mouth, which has served us very well. I agree with the advice a friend once gave me: "Don't chase money - chase people, and money will follow". Being cheery and welcoming encourages people to come back and leads to more customers spending money.
My top tips
Give your customers what they want. If they complain, just give them their money back - that often pulls the rug from under them. Anyway, you'll never win that kind of argument. If you try to prove customers wrong, you're unlikely to win them over and you'll never see them again.
Pub facts
Owners: Paul and Jo Stretton-Downes
Turnover: £400,000
Number of staff: 4 full-time, 7 part-time
GP food: 40%
GP drink: 60%
Covers a week: 260 (closed Sunday and Monday evenings)
Food sales as % of turnover: 45%