Robert Cook, the boss of the exclusive Hotel du Vin chain, has confirmed his intention of rolling out a pub chain after success at his first site in Brighton.
Pub du Vin opened in mid-November next to the existing Hotel du Vinn and has impressed visitors with its cask ale offer, pub food and bar snacks. Cook, who also runs Malmaison, says Pub du Vin has the potential to expand into 50 towns and villages across the UK.
"The tankard is the new martini glass," he says. "Beer is where wine was in the Seventies. There is a growing interest in well made, local ales. I'm not talking about tasteless, gassy lagers, I'm talking about beer from breweries that are consistently rated by Camra (Campaign for Real Ale).
"The smoking ban has given the pub trade the opportunity to do food really well. We want to capitalise on that. The chain will almost be like a mini Hotel du Vin but instead of wine we will concentrate on beer."
Cook said that expansion plans are on hold for at least a year until his parent company, Marylebone Warwick Balfour, works out where the economy is going.
But he added: "The time has never been better to launch a pub chain. The recession has meant that a lot of pubs are going out of business and coming on to the market. As hoteliers we understand how to extract value from the business. Also the consumer wants to pay less — going out to a pub is less expensive than a restaurant."
Cook said that he is looking at sites in North Berwick, Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast and small country towns such as Ludlow in Shropshire. The pubs would also offer affordable accommodation, opening a second revenue stream.