As you like it

Greene King tenant Malcolm Mant, of the Shakespeare Tavern, in Bristol, talks to Alison Baker about how he has developed his food offer

Malcolm Mant has used Greene King Pub Partners' new online programme Food Store to help develop his food offer. The Food Store was developed in conjunction with food consultancy Food Works and is designed to help licensees at all levels of experience in providing food.

The site provides the company's licensees with a range of tools to help them introduce or enhance their food offer, from developing menus using an online menu creator and menu printing, to recommending retailers with agreed price lists.

There's also help and advice, either on the phone, from other licensees, or food advisers who can visit and provide one-on-one support. Visit www.greenekingpubs.co.uk for more information.

My pub

The Shakespeare is a Greene King tenancy, on the waterfront in Bristol's old city.

We're surrounded by branded operations and I made a conscious decision to be completely the opposite.

We aim to attract the 30 to 35-plus age group. During the week, it's largely office trade with the boating community coming in to eat in the evenings. At weekends, we mainly attract tourists.

Our food

When I took over at the Shakespeare two years ago there was no food offering at all. I quickly identified that the way forward for us was to offer British pub classics at a reasonable price; this was what best suited our market. People can come in and have a jacket potato or hot baguette for £5 to £6, or a main for £6 to £7.

The food side of the business has really taken off and we now take about £2,000 a week on food, with takings continuing to rise.

We aim for a 55% GP on our food. All our fresh meat and vegetables come from local suppliers with the remainder supplied by 3663. We have about a 50/50 split between fresh and frozen supplies.

Our menu

I change the menu seasonally and we also have a bank of specials. If they prove particularly popular, I include them on the main menu. Traditional pub food is what we do best.

Dishes such as sausage and mash, fish and chips, steak and Speckled Hen ale pie, and our own home-made burgers are on the menu, together with caramel apple betty, sticky toffee pudding and chocolate fudge cake.

We also offer Sunday roast - with a choice of two meats - for £6.95.

Our best-selling dishes

Hot baguettes, particularly the BLT and the fish finger. Also home-made burgers - the bacon and cheese burger is a favourite. There's also steak and ale pie and ham, egg and chips.

How Food Store has helped my business

We change our menu four times a year; the last time it changed, I used the Food Store package to help me enhance the menu I had already drawn up.

The online food bank provides some good menu ideas; even if you don't choose the dishes it shows, it is great for inspiring a related avenue that your current menu may be lacking. I also found the sample descriptions really useful for tweaking my menu, and the guidance on margins and selling prices was ideal.

Our food sales are increasing all the time, but it's always a good idea to get a second pair of eyes looking at your business as it is very easy to become complacent or blinkered.

I felt that the system was pitched at just the right level for my pub. It's a decent system as you put the hard work in once and then reap the benefits. It stores your menu, making it really easy to change in the future.

My best promotions

Every Tuesday we run a quiz night. It's £1 to enter and we provide free sandwiches. We get around 50 people a week without fail.

And at the Crown & Anchor

The Food Store also benefited Greene King tenants Cheryl Horn and Tracey Vallis at the Crown & Anchor in Chichester, West Sussex. The pair increased their food takings from £5,000 to £7,000 a week by looking at the profit margins of specific dishes, with prices on some reduced and others increased, and by introducing a set Sunday roast menu and improving local supplies to reduce costs.

Pub facts

Annual turnover: £500,000

Staff: 12

GP on food 55%

GP on wet sales 47%

Food sales: 20.8% of turnover

Covers a week: average 380