MasterChef win boosts trade at Anton Piotrowski's pub Treby Arms
Since winning the BBC competition in December with London-based freelance caterer Keri Moss, Piotrowski’s pub, the Treby Arms in Sparkwell, has received more than 5,000 online bookings and had to employ someone to look after the phone.
"It has taken us until now to get through all the bookings," said Piotrowski, who owns the freehold with three silent directors.
"We are fully booked until May, and December was up four times on last year."
The pub has recently completed a refurbishment that turned the upstairs living quarters into a 45-cover restaurant, bringing the capacity to 75. Plans are in place to move the kitchen upstairs for more space and extend the downstairs bar into the vacated area.
Whereas the pub was busy before with a month ahead fully booked, and serving 30 for lunch and 40 for dinner, it is now catering for up to 70 for lunch and 90 for dinner.
Piotrowski is keen to fine-tune the offer at the Treby Arms before moving on to other ventures. "There are so many things you can do after MasterChef," he said, "maybe a book deal or more TV".
