Rattlebone Inn: where retail is detail
Jason Read, Young's tenant at the Rattlebone Inn, Sherston, Wilts, talks prix-fixe menus, curry festivals and free chips with Sheila McWattie.
How I got here
The Rattlebone Inn is a great quality drinking pub that also sells delicious food, so we have a good locals' drinking trade, as well as being a destination food pub.
Having worked as an area manager for various breweries, I decided to go it alone in 2005. The Rattlebone Inn is my first business, and I'm looking forward to acquiring a second pub this month, near Bristol.
With a population of 2,200, Sherston village is within easy reach of Bristol and Bath, in a relatively affluent rural area. We've trebled the business at this Young's tenanted house in the past four years.
How we achieved business growth
We've gained a good local reputation by perfecting individual aspects such as service, pricing, drink and food quality, atmosphere, décor, staffing and cleanliness.
Setting goals, defining target markets and our points of difference helped, such as setting menu pricing at £2 less than our competitors on a main course.
Quality food and drink promotions boost sales; involvement in local charities and village events puts the pub at the heart of the community, attracting good publicity.
Business philosophy
Be the best at whatever you do, focusing on what the customer really wants.
Best business advice we have ever been given
Retail is detail: run every part of the business correctly, and it will all come together.
How we stand out from the competition
We are a pub selling good food — not a restaurant pub — and our great atmosphere is driven by the buzz from the bar.
We offer better value for money for the same quality and aim to differ from our local competitors in terms of live acoustic and mellow background music, our country-bistro-style food menu, summer rotisserie, service style and promotions. Events include monthly live acoustic sets, village raffles and fund-raising events, and development and sponsorship of local teams including our cricket team.
Bar talk
Our vibrant bar trade has bar sales amounting to 55% of the total take. Our 15 wines by the glass account for nearly 25% of wet sales.
Top beers are Young's PA Bitter, and St Austell Tribute. Being in the West Country, cider is important: Stowford Press is our best seller.
On Thursdays, Boys' Night targets 30 to 50-year-old professionals who visit around 8.45pm after playing local sports: we offer slightly discounted jugs of beer and free bowls of chips.
Recommended business-related website
www.myhrdept.co.uk: a brilliant, inexpensive way of keeping up to date with employment law.
Recommended suppliers
Young's Brewery is my favourite — it's unfashionable for tenants to like their brewery, but Young's has always been very supportive when needed and leaves me alone at other times!
It spent money refurbishing the pub last November and we have never looked back.
Five best ideas
• Sunday night pizzas: By making our own dough and using our normal ovens to produce authentic pizzas, we boosted our food trade from zero to 30, with people mostly eating in. Takeaway service is also available.
• Ladies' Night: A two-for-one deal on main courses for ladies' tables on Tuesdays increased covers from 15 to 50.
• Boules pistes: Having a third piste has increased the number of boules league teams from 36 to 54 and boosted Monday to Friday liquor take by 15%.
• Prix fixe set menu: Monday to Friday lunchtime, and Monday and Thursday evenings, with two courses at £10.95 and three courses at £13.95. The menu changes monthly and achieves 67% GP. With slightly smaller portions than our à la carte, it increased lunchtime trade by 20%.
• Fish Week: Promoted on our specials boards and in the local paper at a quiet time of year, this doubled mid-week evening trade and brought great local PR.
Pub facts
Licensee: Jason Read
Website: www.therattlebone.co.uk
Turnover: £15K per week
Wet:dry split: 55:45
Wages as percentage of turnover: 25%
GP food/GP drink: 67%/56%
Total covers: 100
Average covers per week: 550
Average spend per head: £12
In the know
Service secrets
We aim to combine a relaxed service style with good organisation.
We employ people who are willing to learn, who are bright and buzzy and who like people. New employees are trained in our simple service policy; regular refreshers keep staff motivated.
We take staff out to other well-run operations, offer occasional cash incentives, and allocate tips equally among bar, waiting and kitchen staff.
The management team, including the chef, are on bonus schemes related to takings, profit and GPs, and I provide extra training and courses to assist career progression.
One idea that didn't work
Rain ruined our huge summer garden party and we lost a lot of money.
Credit check
An energy consultant recommended using low-energy bulbs, feeding the hot air produced by cellar cooling back into the pub, installing wood burners in the bar, turning off central heating and insulating windows. Changing and renegotiating supplier deals also saved 15% on food costs last year.
Successful marketing and PR ideas
Our authentic curry festival, held every August bank holiday Sunday night with a band in the garden, is in its fourth year.
Our huge Rattlebone Christmas party — including a quality prize draw in aid of a village charity — features carol singing in the bar with a 15-piece brass band.
I recommend finding a great PR person and raising your profile by getting in the local and regional press.
Couldn't live without…
Our Spitting Pig spit roast and rotisserie machine, bought three years ago for £3,500, boosts summer trade with delicious whole pigs, joints of meat or French-style whole chickens.
Menu philosophy
My chef Roger Payne has been with me since we got here, providing the consistency and quality we need to build trade. Our classic country cooking with a twist has a slightly old-fashioned bistro feel. We keep things simple, knowing our customers prefer classic dishes using the best local ingredients.
We're also known for our steaks, game in season and fish dishes. Our pub snack menu includes classics such as the famous Rattlebone burger and devilled kidneys on toast.
The menu changes monthly for main menu and six-monthly for bar menu and we aim for a food GP of 67%.
Best new dish
Confit of Gloucester Old Spot belly of pork with bubble & squeak, cider gravy (£12.50)
Best-selling dishes
• Starters — Potted smoked haddock with poached egg, cream & cheese (£5.50); warm salad of pigeon breast with black pudding & crispy bacon (£5.50); home-cured beetroot, salmon & salad (£5.25)
• Mains — Pan-fried fillet of fresh cod with a chive Hollandaise (£12.50); venison steak with bubble & squeak, root veg purée & pepper sauce (£14.50); char-grilled prime 10oz rump steak, served with hand-cut chips, salad, and Stilton sauce (£14.25)
• Desserts — Dark chocolate torte with blackberry compôte (£5.50); sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream (£5.25); lemon tart with raspberry sorbet (£4.95)
Most profitable dishes
Ham hock terrine with piccalilli (£5); penne pasta with roasted Mediterranean vegetables & Parmesan cheese (£9.50)
Best food promotion
Our Steak Night offer of two 10oz rump steaks & chips with a bottle of house red (£25) has increased covers from 25 to 65 on Wednesday nights. We did a deal with the local butcher to reduce steak cost, while maintaining quality. It has a relatively s
