Breakfast Club
The White Swan, Wighill, North Yorkshire
Twitter: @whiteswanwighill
The idea: Aimed at achieving a regular following at otherwise quiet time, the Saturday morning Breakfast Club is seen by tenants Emma & Wesley Chamberlain and some locals as a “perfect hangover cure”.
How it works: From 10am to 1pm, free unlimited tea, coffee and juice are offered with all items, from toast with butter and home-made Mirabelle jam (£3.50) to a full breakfast (£8).
Marketing: Website; village blackboard; weekly Facebook post featuring breakfast picture. Launch coinciding with the privately leased pub’s vegetable & cake show in September 2014 attracted families immediately and provided an effective showcase for the Chamberlains’ passion for good food.
Be prepared: Tea and coffee equipment is set up in function room on Friday nights to enable customers to help themselves and save staff time.
Pay-off: Custom has risen by an average of 15 covers since breakfast trade began, including some new faces every week.
Key benefits: Diversifies food offering, increases Saturday daytime trade and promotes support of the local pub.
Advice: Provide plenty of newspapers and keep tea and coffee flowing. Consider offering free hot and cold beverages.
Best outcome: Increased and repeat business, including growth in family trade.
Movie and martini nights
Truscott Arms, Maida Vale, London
Twitter: @TheTruscottArms
The idea: Movie nights, with an accompanying themed cocktail or drink, heldin the pub’s large function room, the Denbury Room.
How it works: For £10 per ticket, guests can enjoy a movie and are served with a themed drink. Recent screenings have included Dirty Dancing complete with a watermelon martini and Breakfast at Tiffany’s when classic martinis were served. A waitress service allows guests to order food from the pub’s bar menu during the movie. Tickets are booked in advance through the pub’s website.
Marketing: The movie nights are promoted via the pub’s social media platforms and website as well as on in-house posters. The pub has run a range of movie-related events, from weekly art house screenings and private viewings to more fun nights such as the Movie and Martini nights, which have attracted considerable press interest.
Be prepared: The pub invested in a three metre HD surround sound cinema system, in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which is now used for the movie nights. The Denbury Room, which is laid out cinema style, can accommodate up to 32 guests. Popcorn is available to buy courtesy of an old-style cinema popcorn maker, purchased by the pub from eBay.
Pay-off: Utilises equipment previously invested in.
Key benefits: Drives mid-week sales; showcases the pub’s additional spaces and how they can be utilised.
Advice: Licensee Andrew Fishwick says: “Be careful on the licensing - both your own licence and the film licence. You can’t just put on a DVD - you’ll need to pay a fee to a screening company. Filmbank Distributors Ltd is our partner for this and is very helpful.”
Best outcome: Screenings are usually fully booked.