Former Marston's food supremo joins S&NPE

Former Marston's catering development manager Ben Bartlett has joined Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises this week in the newly created role of food development manager.

Bartlett has over 20 years experience in catering including eight years specialising in helping lessees in the pub trade.

As Food Development Manager, Bartlett will have responsibility for creating a strategy to maximise food opportunities and profits for the company's lessees as the market changes.

S&NPE already has a strong track record for supporting lessees with food including a range of off the shelf and bespoke food menus, point of sale material and food awareness and development courses.

Head of Marketing, Matthew Woodward said: "Helping our lessees develop additional income streams has never been more important, particularly in the light of the smoking ban.

"Our food offer has gone from strength to strength in recent years. But we want to take a long critical look at what we do now and what we'll need to do in the future to continue to grow food for lessees.

"We believe that wherever our lessees are in the food market, whether they have a simple or sophisticated offer, there are still opportunities for them to do more.

"The food development manager role is all about helping them achieve this.

"Ben's experience makes him perfect for the job. He is both a leased pub specialist with a comprehensive grasp of what lessees need and the challenges they face in food as well as a food expert with great knowledge of the current trends in food and what consumers want."

Bartlett added: "I am delighted to be joining a company that is embracing food in such a positive fashion and which sees it as playing such a vital role for lessees and pubs in the future."