Since winning the title of Best Sports Pub in 2018, the Famous Three Kings has continued its sterling work up to the present day.
Licensee Paul Eastwood and his team have not rested on their laurels by evolving the pub’s offer with their customers at the centre of everything they do. Whether that’s investing in the latest technology and improving their sports viewing facilities, to upping their food and drink range across all day parts.
The pub shows more than 50 different sports, across 36 TVs, two projector screens, four Sky boxes, one Freeview and nine foreign boxes, giving access to thousands of channels.
In addition to improvement in facilities, judges were impressed with the Famous Three Kings’ approach to inclusivity and the diversity of their offer, by showing a wide range of women’s sports, and by updating the menu and offers to include more traditionally female-friendly options.
Customer engagement key
As shocking as the pandemic has been for the sector, and the Famous Three Kings specifically, the pub has used the opportunity to build on key services by improving the booking system, allowing customers to pre-purchase food and drinks packages, while the rollout of order and pay apps across the wider Stonegate business has allowed the pub to enhance its table service offer for both big matches and for business on a day-to-day basis.
Customer engagement and feedback have always been important to Eastwood and the team, using all routes they can to communicate and converse even when it’s less than positive. This helped to explain any changes they were forced to bring in through Covid restrictions to ensure customers were fully aware and appreciated the reasoning behind certain rules.
Arguably, the stand-out area for the Famous Three Kings is its approach to marketing and thinking outside the box to attract and appeal to a wide range and international customer base.
Internal marketing, digital focus, foreign-club partnerships, attention to all genders and PR has brought customers from afar to experience the Famous Three Kings. Next to West Kensington tube station, the pubs maximises visibility by marketing on windows, A-boards, blackboards and posters to promote upcoming sports and events in foreign languages, with flags and different colours identifying the Famous Three Kings as a multinational pub.
Social platforms are another essential marketing tool with an impressive reach to leverage and encourage followers to post regularly on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The pub also uses a version of the Stonegate We Love Sport app, and strategically advertises to different nationality groups and their football fan groups. The pub also sponsors a number of sports teams – but the greatest form of communication is word of mouth.
In its own words, the ingredients to create the best pub to watch sport are a safe and secure environment for all customers, a range of food and drink to suit all occasions, an absolute dedication to niche sports, and delivering a memorable experience.