Crown at Woodbridge: crowning glory
Stephen David, chef-patron, at the Crown at Woodbridge, Suffolk, talks about supporting the locals, water filters and the Hoste Arms with Sheila McWattie.
How I got here
Two years ago I was given the freedom to create this boutique townhouse inn from a faded old ex-Forte hotel by its owners, Thorpeness & Aldeburgh Hotels, who have five very individual Suffolk properties.
A chef-restaurateur for 20 years, I've been lucky enough to work in some of East Anglia's best places: I was executive chef at north Norfolk's famous Hoste Arms and then owned the well-known Earsham Street Café in Bungay, north Suffolk, for a decade before coming to Woodbridge, a charming riverside market town close to the coast, with a population of 8,000. We transformed the building during a three-month closure and have now almost quadrupled turnover.
How we achieved our business growth
We aim to be unique and noteworthy, at least regionally; we try to be commercially aware, delivering financially as well as aspiring to be the best, and to create an environment and style that reflects our intent and principles.
Business philosophy
We have a long-term vision and don't have special offers. Everyone who visits pays the same and chooses food from the same à la carte menu. Word of mouth is key — we try to get it right and hope guests return with friends.
Best piece of business advice
My wife Rebecca and I ran the Hoste Arms for the late great Paul Whittome for four years and learned so much from him. He advised against wasting time trying to create a market where one doesn't exist — stick to what you know best and get it right.
Standing out from the competition
Walking into a huge, glass-roofed bar with a 15-foot skiff suspended against the skylight suggests somewhere out of the ordinary. Our talented Chelsea designer, David Bentheim, didn't hold back, creating four intimate eating areas, a relaxed low-level sofa and coffee-table lounge, 10 calming designer bedrooms upstairs, a secret willow-lined circular terrace, and our funky bar with Prosecco on draught and a long reclaimed oak and black granite counter. But it is far more than that — it's the complete package; a cosmopolitan vibe, destination dining, and a laid-back, buzzy ambience.
Biggest mistake
We've put a lot of effort into getting the right look for menu covers, but they're easily damaged, so that is a work in progress for us.
Recommended business websites
www.sawdays.co.uk — two of Alastair Sawday's guides are critical to us
and their editors have been so supportive: David Hancock for Pubs & Inns and Tom Bell for British Hotels & Inns. We were thrilled to have Alastair visit recently to present us with his national Pub with Rooms 2010 award.
a href="http://www.spinnaker-alliance.co.uk " target="_blank">www.spinnaker-alliance.co.uk — a creative Suffolk partnership contributing significantly to our success.
Bar talk
We offer Adnams' Southwold beers and Meantime's Greenwich ales; proper Continental and Suffolk lager (no big brands); Aspall Suffolk Cyder; interesting soft drinks and juices. Our wine list extends to about 100, retailing from £15 - £100, from simple Spanish Tempranillo and Chilean Semillon/Sauvignon up to grand cru clarets and new wave/biodynamic South American and Antipodean bottlings.
Identified by wine style rather than country or grape variety, and with useful tasting notes, the list gives guests confidence, so they don't resort to looking for house wines (which we don't have anyway — ours come in a widely-priced range from Crown Collection wines). We draw attention to more expensive bottles to suit the current style of food and weather in our Wines of the Season page.
