Pub food: business boosters
Pie & piano evening
Where: Thatchers Arms, Mount Bures, Essex
The idea: Offering a pie menu and an evening of live piano music. Owner Mick Adams says: "We decided to run a pie & piano evening as it's an excellent way to show off our traditional pub values of real food and a great atmosphere. The pies are home-made with proper shortcrust pastry — we offer a choice of five, ranging from beef & Adnams ale and stargazy & smoked mackerel to Suffolk pork, apple & blue cheese and local pigeon, bacon, mushroom & juniper."
What we needed: "We advertised the event in a number of ways: via our email newsletter, on our website, on Twitter, Facebook and via websites such as useyourlocal.com and essextouristguide.com. We also have a 'what's on' guide on our menu, blackboards inside and outside the pub and used our staff to talk it up among customers. There were some extra staffing costs involved as we needed another chef and additional prep time plus an extra staff member for the evening. The pianist also cost us £100."
Business benefits: "This was our third pie & piano evening. We had nearly 50 food covers, compared to between 15 and 30 on a normal Wednesday night. We also attracted a big crowd of drinkers, which is unusual mid-week, particularly as there was a major football match on that night. Overall, we took at least double the amount we would normally expect to take."
Top tips: "Make sure the pies are up to scratch, your pianist is lively and that you have a microphone and amp if it's a big pub."
Why do it: Uses traditional pub values to boost mid-week trade.
Where: the Stonhouse, Clapham, London
The idea: Mystery diners' club. Launched by parent company Renaissance Pubs, the scheme gives away a free meal for two at each of its five pubs every fortnight, in return for feedback on the winners' dining experiences.
What we needed: Operations director for Renaissance Pubs Mark Reynolds says: "We have advertised the scheme on our website and via our monthly newsletter. We reimburse diners up to £70 towards the cost of their meal, at a cost to us of £25 to £30 for the food and drink plus the lost opportunity to book the table out to other customers. Since launching the club in February we've had about 400 applications with the winning diners sending in two detailed questionnaires with feedback on everything from food to service, the design to the ambience. They also send in a copy of their receipt and our head office makes a BACS payment into their bank account. Once diners have joined the club they will keep being entered into the draw."
Business benefits: "We have been running the idea for a couple of years using friends, suppliers and contacts but felt that the feedback may be biased. Using a mystery diners' club allows the company to obtain genuine, constructive praise and criticism from people who don't know us and to monitor our staff when we are not present. This is absolutely key in a highly-competitive, constantly-changing business. The benefits of introducing the scheme massively outweigh the negatives."
Top tip: Reimburse diners upon receipt of feedback to ensure questionnaires are returned.
Why do it: For a small cost the business can gain invaluable, impartial feedback.
Swap & sale evening
Where: Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay, Oundle, near Peterborough
The idea: A nearly-new clothes sale and swap. Owner Sally Facer says: "Many well-dressed "ladies who lunch" frequent the pub. Spring was coming, so I thought it would be a great idea to hold a sale benefiting sellers, buyers and the pub, as well as raising money for charity."
What we needed: "Sellers paid £10 for an option to sell, which included a glass of house wine and a bar snack. Items were delivered to the pub in advance with the seller's contact details and a sale price attached. We also had a table for customers who wanted to swap their items and we paid out for sold items a few days after the event had taken place. I decided to rely on word of mouth, so only advertised on our website and the pub blackboard. As we were raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA), John Lewis in Peterborough kindly loaned us hanging rails for the evening."
Business benefits: "The event attracted approximately 20 sellers and around 40 buyers and we managed to sell around 60 food covers compared to the 30 to 40 we'd normally sell. A 20% commission was taken for each item of clothing sold, half of which we donated to the MNDA, raising £152 for the cause. This was our first event of this kind: due to its success, we plan to hold another in the autumn."
Top tip: Provide sellers with conditions of sale before the event to avoid any confusion.
Why do it: A fun event that attracts groups of female customers.
