Pub food: business boosters
Ladies' lunch
Where: the Hunny Bell, near Holt, Norfolk
The idea: Andy Snowling, head chef at the Stody estate lease, says: "We're close to two schools and noticed that mothers enjoy meeting for lunch before collecting their children. Ladies, Do Lunch! costs £10.50 for a main course and glass of wine on Wednesdays, always including meat, fish and vegetarian options.
"We always have between six and eight dishes on the menu and change at least one dish a week. The whole menu changes over six to 10 weeks. Any men who wish to come along are welcome. We have people of all ages and backgrounds taking advantage of the offer, including walkers.
"Our current menu includes Stody-reared, rare-roasted Aberdeen Angus sirloin of beef with shaved Parmesan, baby leaf salad, horseradish crème fraîche & sautéed potatoes, and steamed Morston moules marinière with white onions, garlic, parsley, double cream & freshly-baked bread."
What we needed: "We distributed flyers at local schools and publicise the offer on our website."
Business benefits: "When customers are consistently offered our good value, quality, fresh produce and the opportunity to meet others, they are likely to return and often want to sample our other menus too. A sense of belonging is generated by the informal atmosphere and word of mouth encourages repeat trade. Walkers using the pub are often delighted to find special offers available. With this offer we sell about 30 lunches a week between noon and 2.30pm."
Top tip: "Pay close attention to your demographic when designing offers."
Stitch and bitch evenings
Where: Five Bells, Colne Engaine, near Colchester, Essex
The idea: Weekly craft meetings in the pub. Marketing manager for the freehold pub, Catherine Hales says: "I'd been travelling in South America, seen some amazing handicrafts there and fancied having a go myself. I mentioned it to a few people and realised that there was a real demand for this type of group. The evenings were launched last November and we now meet in the pub every Thursday to learn new skills and meet new people."
What we needed: "There has been very little input required. We initially advertised by sending an email to our database, putting up notices in local shops and by using our website and Facebook page. Our local paper, the Halstead Gazette, then ran a story about the club and word has spread. We started off in the bar, but have now moved to the restaurant because of numbers. People work on lots of different things; knitting, crocheting, embroidery, quilting. The range of skills is amazing and each person brings along their own materials."
Business benefits: "We have an average of 10 people who turn up every week, but numbers are growing all the time. Programmes such as Kirstie Allsopp's Homemade Home have sparked a revival of interest in handicrafts and we have a range of abilities and ages that come along. It creates quite a buzz in the pub as diners come over to see what we are doing and we also benefit from the drinks and side orders that people order while they are working. The club is attracting people into the pub who might otherwise sit at home doing their handicraft in front of the TV."
Top tip: "Keep the evenings as informal as possible — it's about creating a social outlet, rather than attempting to teach new skills from the front."
Senior citizen lunch club
Where: Hampshire Arms, Crondall, Surrey
The idea: Reduced price lunchtime menu for senior citizens. Chef proprietor of the Greene King pub, Ross Kirkpatrick says: "We took over the pub six months ago and wanted to offer British food with a twist. Our lunchtime trade needed a boost and as there are a large number of senior citizens in the village and surrounding areas we thought a pub classics menu, at reduced prices, would appeal to this group as well as advertise what we stand for. The promotion now runs every Thursday lunchtime and is attracting a regular following."
What we needed: "We devised a number of set menus that include up to 10 main dishes such as gammon steak, beer-battered fish & chips, sausage & mash, and liver & bacon. Dishes are priced at £5.95 per head, approximately half what we charge on our regular menu, and are changed as and when we feel the need. We also offer two weekly specials and a jacket potato and pie of the day with portion sizes the same as on our standard menu to ensure we provide good value for money. Advertising has been mainly via a huge A-board outside the pub and by word of mouth, as well as on our website."
Business benefits: "We're out in the sticks, so were lucky to attract more than 10 to 20 lunchtime covers a day during the week. The senior citizen lunch club has boosted this figure, on average, by 30 covers and its popularity is growing all the time. While the GP on the dishes isn't huge, the initiative is aimed at promoting continued custom, as well as demonstrating the style of food we offer. The pub has had so many identities over the years that it is particularly important that customers are made aware of the change in offering. We have also found that the regulars often bring along new faces and visit with family and friends. One couple came for lunch for the first time one Thursday and subsequently booked a table for 20 that same Sunday."
Top tip: Weekly specials help maintain customer interest.
