The British physician, author and inventor Edward de Bono, once said: "One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity." But can this method of thinking be applied to running a pub? Ideally yes, but how?
Gianni D'Aniello took on the lease at the Queen's Head Inn, an Enterprise Inns pub in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, four years ago. Back then the pub was on its way out. But Gianni saw the derelict space as an opportunity, rather than a hopeless mission. And since then, he's not looked back.
"I took the pub on as an empty building," he says. "It was closed and we spent half a million on a refurbishment, it was a project back then. Now, I just feel really lucky to be here."
Gianni is not a man to sit on his laurels and believes that being proactive is the key to running a good pub.
"We try and do something for every national week. If there's a national week on, then we will always try and support it," he explains, pointing out that "it's an exercise to raise awareness of the business".
Record attempt
To coincide with National Chocolate Week (October 11-17) the Queen's Head has made an attempt to put a Guinness world record on the menu. In this case, the team have set upon making what they hope to be the world's largest chocolate truffle - for charity, no less.
For a pub not equipped for such a feat, Gianni explains that it's something anyone can do. Sure, it's a challenge, but a fun one.
"It's a home-grown affair. We haven't got lots of professional equipment or anything. We'll probably be using all manner of self-destructive things to make it work!" Gianni says, laughing.
The pub just has one goal - to exceed the current world record which was set in Germany two years ago. The current record-holding truffle weighs in at 196.3kg. Gianni says he and the team will be creating "something in the region of 200kg as the final weight. It's all for National Chocolate Week, really, which starts the day afterwards, so we're doing that to kick it off".
According to Gianni, all the chocolate has been provided by specialist Belgian chocolate producer and sponsor Callebaut, and will be sold on to customers and attendees to sample on the day.
"We're going to chop the truffle up into bits then sell off the pieces," he says. "Anything that we make is going to the Children's Heart Appeal at the Birmingham Children's Hospital."
A local, charitable, business builder where customers get to eat chocolate? It seems like a win-win plan.
"But that's not all," says Gianni, hastily. "We're running a chocolate menu throughout the week - it's called Seven Days of Chocolate Heaven.
"Chris is coming up with a menu that's going to have normal stuff on, but also some really quirky stuff as well. We're going to take the chocolate throughout our menu."
And, as he explains the concept further, it becomes obvious that desserts (and chocolate dishes, in particular) are something of a string to Chris' bow over in the kitchen at the Queen's Head Inn.
"We're quite famous for our Chocolate Plate here," Gianni says, explaining that Chris creates a decadent selection of small chocolate dishes for the first option at the top of the dessert menu. It's something the customers love.
The items change depending on what the pastry chef decides to create each time around. But treat dishes are this pub's specialty and through one choice seven different chocolate desserts can be sampled on one plate. A winning formula.
Community involvement
Gianni reminds that, in essence, the pub looks at all the national events on the calendar and tries to find ways to incorporate them into a good cause and a business builder. He already has plans for Apple day (October 21) the following week. These, he explains, are local and in the spirit of the pub being the centre of the community.
"We have a fruit farm not far from us, Array Fruit Farm, which produces over 12 varieties of apples, some of which are rare, Array is the only farm that produces them in the country," says Gianni.
He adds that it's nice to have such a place on your doorstep, but laments that people don't take advantage of local produce as much as they might.
"The chap who runs it, Mark Giles, is really passionate about what he does and wonders why government-funded schools buy apples abroad when he's throwing away so many tons of apples each year," says Gianni. "So I said 'If you give me all the apples that you were going to throw away, we'll do something with them for Apple Day'.
"We're going to make apple pies for people to take away. Any money we make, because the apples were free, we'll give to both Mark's nominated charity, which is the Royal British Legion, and one of our nominated charities, the NSPCC."
In cases like this, Gianni says it's also a chance to get the local community involved and to enjoy local produce.
"We'll have English apple desserts and apple sauces with dishes on the menu," he says. "And we'll be doing children's activities as well. We've got an apple press, so families can come and make their own apple juice and children can build their own apple man - these are just some activities for children that might be fun."
Gianni's readiness to try anything and think a bit more about what people want within his local community is inspiring.
Wedding bells
His current business-boosting opportunity - giant truffles and apple pies aside - is all about by holding wedding receptions in the pub. With such an intimate atmosphere teamed with a willingness to tailor-make any event to his customers' requirements, it's become quite the weekend earner for the venue, he admits.
"We're now fully booked next year with weddings," Gianni says, attributing this to his readiness to offer "a bespoke wedding service".
"We just ask them 'what do you want and how do you want it?' and it seems to go down really well," he adds, agreeing that it's about reassuring people that your pub exists to provide a place for relaxation, celebration and a little indulgence and fun.
Could weddings be the Queen's Head Inn's greater strength? More than its chocolate plate? Perhaps so, but whatever the feat, it's highly likely that it will be recognised as an opportunity, not a challenge.
Get inspired at the Chocolate Unwrapped show
When: October 16-17, 2010
Where: Vinopolis, Stoney Street, Borough, London, SE1 9BU
What: A two day chocolate event featuring exhibits and experiences from the UK's finest chocolate companies. Features of the show include: Chocolate tastings and experiences, links to cacao plantations, an exhibition of chocolate art and sculptures, talks from top chocolatiers, experts and authors and chocolate and flavour tastings.
Who: Exhibitors this year include: Artisan du Chocolat, William Curley, Paul a Young, Melt, Rococo, Rabot Estate, Duffy Sheardown, Divine, Matcha, chocolateandlove, Auberge du Chocolat, Baruzzo, GoDo chocolate, The Chocolate Café, Original Beans, Cocouture, Cacao Sampaka, Lucky's, Jeff de Bruges, Nicky Grant, Cococru, Patchi, Hotel Chocolat and Thorntons.
Why: Try new chocolate launches and chocolate made from rare cacao beans and taste Sanguinaccio chocolate blood pudding, sample chocolate as it would have tasted 100 years ago and meet chocolatiers with business boosting treat ideas for your menu.
How: Tickets cost £7.50 for one-day entry and are available online: Chocolate Unwrapped tickets from TicketWeb