The partnership consists of two initiatives. The first will see Punch pubs that have no catering facilities able to have fresh food delivered from local Just Eat restaurants directly to customers’ tables.
The second initiative will see two Yorkshire pubs begin offering a takeaway menu with home delivery for their customer base.
Punch catering development manager Steve Kite said: “This partnership with Just Eat is an exciting opportunity for Punch and our publicans.”
Footfall
“For those who do not currently have a food offering, it has the potential to drive new footfall as well as increase trade from existing customers in wet-led pubs as drinkers can now become diners.”
Punch licensee Angela Shortland, of the Midland Hotel, Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, said: “This is a fantastic initiative which caters for us as we don’t have the cooking facilities you would expect from a bigger pub.
“However, we can now compete by also offering a seven-days-a-week food service which we hope to see boost our drinks sales.”
Street food
With Euromonitor International statistics highlighting growth in the takeaway sector, the addition of a takeaway offer to Punch sites would create an opportunity to increase food sales.
But it’s not just takeaway that is making inroads into food-less pubs.
Rob Star, owner of London pub group Electric Star, previously told the Morning Advertiser he thought working with street-food traders was a “no-brainer” for wet-led pubs.
“The economics of putting a chef in place – maybe having someone washing up or assisting them or buying the stock – can be very costly if you’re not taking £5,000 to £7,000 a week in food trade,” he said.
Working with street-food traders meant licensees get high-quality products as they benefit from providers who are highly invested in making it as good as possible.
Richard Johnson, founder of British Street Food and the British Street Food Awards, told the PMA500 conference earlier this year he believed street food to be the single most important trend to happen in food for many years.