Making it special
IT COULD be you. Although winning a competition in The Publican may not be quite as life changing as seeing your lottery numbers come up, it can still make a real difference.
For Michelle Ramsay, manager of the Kings Head in Cubbington, Warwickshire, the prize of a menu makeover built around Moy Park Foodservice's on-line menu planning solution Menu Makers, backed up with advice from Ben Bartlett - current Pub Food Awards HQ Food Champion - couldn't have come at a better time.
The Kings Head, owned by Enterprise Inns and operated by lessee Wayne Quinlan, relaunched last Easter. With strong competition for food trade from a pub just half a mile away, Michelle and Wayne had their work cut out.
A range of home-prepared snacks along with a specials board have helped to attract trade, and the pub is now serving 100 covers per week and attracting a mixed clientele from the local village.
The food offering is taking off but the range was lacking inspiration. In addition, the dull menus required a facelift and specials boards were difficult to read.
For Michelle, the makeover prize meant a relaxing spa break leaving Ben, catering development manager with Marston's Pub Company, to get on with the hard work.
Ben says: "The Kings Head is in a great location and I was impressed with the visual impact of the pub from outside. "Pricing is reasonable and the range is extensive. We don't need a big overhaul here, but some simple changes will have a massive impact on trade.
"The menu includes a large choice of sandwiches, baguettes and jacket potatoes, with a choice of around 10 main meals on the specials board, but Michelle is not maximising the potential of food sales in her pub.
"No starters or desserts are offered, missing a chance to up-sell, and there is no snacks menu - an opportunity missed when you consider the profit potential of dishes such as sharing platters."
Ben's month-long revamp programme will include additions to the menu using Moy Park Foodservice products, as well as the creation of food, wine and beer menus, an instruction session with a professional chalk board writer and the production of a website. Moy Park Foodservice marketing manager Matt Godbold says: "Winning this prize is a fantastic opportunity for Michelle to review her whole offering from back-of-house to menus and signage.
"It will give her a real taste of how she can increase profits by refreshing her menu on a regular basis.
"The advice Ben is providing will not only provide an identity for the Kings Head, but will also be relevant to the current marketplace and the demands of consumers looking to eat out in pubs nowadays."
Stay tuned to find out how the makeover went.
• For more about the Moy Park Foodservice range log on to www.moyparkfoodservice.com
