My Pub: A bite of the Big Apple
Bath Ales retail operations manager Robin Couling talks to Lesley Foottit about bringing a bit of New York to the Bristol pub scene with the company's new concept, Graze.
How we got here
Graze is a new experience for us because our other nine sites are all wet-led pubs with much more traditional atmosphere and decor. The new venue is very much food led so we are excited about its future.
We decided to branch out as a result of the rise of cafe bars and gastropubs in recent years. I think customer expectations have shifted over that time and so the concept for Graze is a sophisticated version of the British pub, with great real ales and traditional meat cooking.
Prior to us buying this venue it was the Queen Square Dining Room and was privately owned. We bought the 25-year lease in September last year.
We were attracted to the location of the property, as it is in the city centre of Bristol — there are a lot of office blocks and work places close by, so we get great passing trade at weekday lunchtimes.
I joined Bath Ales in September 2008, but I've been in the industry since I was 16, working in hotels and restaurants. I also spent eight years working in the wine trade and owned my own pub for three years.
After that time I felt that I'd made as much as I could from the venture and, as the minor shareholder, I sold my stake to my business partner.
The vision
The idea for Graze came from New York and London, as both cities have fantastic steakhouses. We had a clear concept — a high-quality meat and grill menu in a cosmopolitan-looking venue.
We wanted a contemporary restaurant that was informal yet stylish, but were also keen to ensure that some elements of a British pub remained to complement our brand. As a result we've kept the real ales, traditional food and relaxed atmosphere, but it is more modern.
Obviously, we serve Bath Ales products, but we have also introduced a mix of Continental beers, interesting wines and premium spirits. Our own Gem ale is very popular, as well as our red Argentinian wine Tomero Malbec, at £19.95 a bottle, and the white Carras Viñas Verdejo from northern Spain, at £18.50.
The refurbishment
Turning the venue from its previous incarnation into what we envisioned as Graze took eight weeks from start to finish. We started the refurbishment in September and opened for our first launch party on 18 November.
We had a budget of £150,000 and, as on previous Bath Ales projects, we decided to use a professional bar and restaurant designer, Simple Simon Design, to co-ordinate our ideas. We gave them the brief and they developed the concept further and then we refined individual design elements together.
My motto is "quality endures" so I really felt that it would be worth spending more on a big refurbishment because the result will last longer and is less likely to be quickly outdated.
It was very helpful to be working with professional designers. It made sourcing the materials much easier as they have existing, trusted resources and they also bore the brunt of the project management side of things, which gave us more time to focus on other issues. Yes, there is a cost implication, but you do benefit from discounts, experience and saving time.
Luckily, the kitchen was already in good shape so we didn't need to spend too much on that and no structural work was required either, so our biggest spends were on the interior design as a whole, and lighting in particular. Lighting is essential in creating the right atmosphere and mood in a venue.
Food focus
Our head chef, Neil Fox has been instrumental in helping to devise an original menu to satisfy all tastes and prices. He last worked at the Moon & Sixpence in Bath and has been with award-winning establishments throughout his career, so we knew he would be an asset to this new venture.
Our most popular dishes include our range of steaks and game — we currently offer pheasant and partridge, but we also do dishes such as lamb's kidneys or mushrooms, tarragon & cream on toast for under £5, plus salt beef & mustard sandwiches, oysters, charcuterie plates and a selection of steaks, all available for around £10.
The menu has to be affordable, especially as we are in the centre of Bristol with around 400 other dining options — competition is tough, not just from other pubs but the high-street chains, too.
All our products are locally sourced because we like to work with suppliers we know personally and we are conscious of the environmental impact of transporting goods from further away.
We are currently doing around 60 covers for lunch and 40 in the evening each day, but hopefully that will increase as word about us spreads. We are aiming for 150 covers a day. At the moment, our wet:dry split is 50:50, but we expect that to change to 40:60 in favour of food as we develop the offer.
Business advice
We found for this project that it has been essential to recruit the right people from the start — builders, designers and staff. For our pub estate we would consider hiring novices, but as Graze is very different from our existing pubs and we wanted the best possible level of service from the start, we wanted staff who already had experience in a food-led venue.
Our four kitchen staff and three managers all had two weeks of thorough training at other Bath Ales venues before Graze opened, and two intensive days going through the menu, service and food tasting were arranged for our nine waiting and barstaff prior to opening.
I think that the reason the refurbishment and the launch went as smoothly as they did was because we had a good, experienced and fully-briefed team. I have overseen this type of project before and so knew how to avoid certain pitfalls.
I owned my own pub in the Cotswolds for three years and the building company I used went bust midway through the renovation. So I learned the hard way that it's important to do thorough research on every business you will be working with, as a precaution against such disasters.
Another golden tip for a successful business is to constantly develop and refine the concept and grow the company. We are looking at Graze as a possible brand, although that is just an idea at this stage.
We are always looking for opportunities to expand and branch out.
Couling's career
I joined Bath Ales in September 2008, but I've been in the industry since I was 16, working in hotels and restaurants. I also spent eight years working in the wine trade and owned my own pub for three years. After that time I felt that I'd made as much as I could from the venture and, as the minor shareholder, I sold my stake to my business partner.
Facts 'n' stats
Tenure: leasehold, private owner
Projected turnover: £15,000 per week
Wet:dry split 2009: 50:50
Projected wet:dry split 2010: 40:60
Food GP: 69%
Wet GP: 65%
Dining covers: 80
Average covers: 100 per day
Staff: 10 full time, six part time
Staff wages as % of turnover: 26%
Pricing
Average cost of a three-course meal with wine: £25 to £30
Average cost of a pint: £2.60
Average cost of a glass of wine: £3.50
Average cost of a spirit and mixer: £3.80
Six tips for a refurb and launch
•Do thorough research on cost before you start — don't allow it to get out of control
•Ensure constant, clear communication with workers — it helps avoid nasty surprises
•Spend money in the right areas — don't cut corners on equipment or design features
•Deliver on customers' expectations — people eat out more often now
•Picking the right staff is critical — you are only as good as your team
•Train your staff to think like a customer — "What would you want?"
