Menu marketing

You don't have to spend a fortune to promote the food you serve. Fiona Pavely offers some practical advice to help licensees increase their food sales.

Coca-Cola spends millions every year on what we loosely call "marketing" - each pound or dollar spent is done with a single aim in mind, increasing sales. While most pubs can only dream of having the marketing muscle of brands like Coca-Cola, they do need to get their sales message across if they want to attract custom and sell food. So how can pubs ensure that their food menu is not the best kept secret in their local area?

We are bombarded with tens of thousands of sales messages every day, some so subtle we barely detect them, others scream brashly from towering billboards demanding to be noticed. Every product on the free market needs to be sold and pub food is no different.

Some of the pub chains invest heavily in advertising - we've all seen the TV ads asking whether we've ever dined at a Harvester before, and more recently Toby Inns has taken up the mantle, advertising its carveries on radio as a luxury to be enjoyed seven days a week.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune​

Most pubs, however, do not have the luxury of corporate advertising budgets. And while word of mouth still remains by far the most effective endorsement you could ever hope to attain, there are some equally cost-effective methods of promoting your pub. Ian Anderson, foodservice controller at Emile Tissot, said: "Look for opportunities to partner with other local businesses to cross-advertise."

"Get involved in local and charity events, perhaps even ensuring that the closing line of the local fun run or "bike-athon" ends at your pub, with free drinks on hand for the participants. Celebrate the pub's birthday or even the town's birthday each year with a special offer. Offer meals for two at your local fete and try to encourage clubs and committees to make you a destination for their meetings."

Local businesses are also rich ground for attracting custom. Why not consider a mail drop to local companies to help boost lunchtime trade and to promote key seasonal events such as Christmas.

"Christmas promotions are key, and to make the most of them you should plan way in advance," advised Catherine Chauvet, food development and marketing manager of the 4,200-strong Punch pubs chain.

"In September you should already have begun your promotional activity. Door drops, local newspaper ads, point-of-sale material, external banners and chalkboards should all be co-ordinated."

Chalk up some sales​

Your own pub is perhaps the most fertile arena for generating interest in your food offer. Use every available space and opportunity to push food into the foreground. Banners and chalkboards sited outside your pub can help to draw custom in. Once inside the pub, posters, specials boards, table cards and menus on prominent display can encourage customers to order food when perhaps they only popped in for a leisurely drink.

The Wild Duck in Ewen, Gloucestershire, attracts custom from far and wide by virtue of the fact that the pub is mentioned in the AA and RAC guides as well as in the Michelin Pub Guide. Once through the doors, manager Gary Burton confirmed that a chalkboard is perhaps the pub's strongest sales tool.

"We change the specials board every day to add 10 new dishes in order to keep things interesting for our customers," he said.

Edward Baynton, owner of the Nags Head pub in Pickhill, feels that there is no better sales tool than personal interaction. "I actively sell our pub menu to our customers. Ninety five per cent of our food sales comes from me talking to my customers and making personal recommendations," he explained.

Create some excitement​

With the best will in the world, customers are a fickle bunch and to keep their interest, change, excitement and fun can work wonders. Wilf Pearce, trading director of 3663, had some suggestions: "Try running a theme night and then displaying photos of the event in the pub, or holding a family day with entertainment for both young and old."

Shane Record, spokesperson for Brake Bros, added: "Theme nights are a great way to trial new menus in a fun environment."

Molly Prince, owner of the Brook Tavern in Swinton, Greater Manchester, is a staunch believer in theme nights. "They help to generate some excitement around the pub and customers really look forward to them," she said.

"I run an event every four weeks and they are always booked up well in advance, which minimises any wastage and maximises profit." Molly even runs a loyalty scheme based around her theme nights, whereby if a group of four come to four theme nights in a row, one member of the party eats for free on the fourth visit.

Dangle a carrot​

Promotions like Molly's can be just the catalyst that is needed to convert interest into sale, according to Wilf Pearce. "Promotional offers are always popular with pub visitors," he said.

"Try offers on meals such as 'buy a main meal and get a dessert half price' or drinks incentives like 'buy three glasses of wine and get the rest of the bottle free'. These offers can be publicised on posters and table talkers, increasing awareness and encouraging people to order from the menu."

Don't, however, be tempted to discount your food offer in some kind of Allied Carpets-esque "everything must go" sale. Longer-term offers such as reward schemes help to maintain repeat business over a more sustained period of time.

John Cooke, director of the McNally Design Group, a company that offers menu consultancy advice to pubcos including Whitbread, Punch Pubs, Scottish & Newcastle and Millhouse Inns, is similarly cautious when using promotions to push food. "I don't believe in discounting food prices," he said.

"That's the way retailing has gone and I think it is damaging. I much prefer to add perceived value to customers by offering a dessert free with every main course ordered. Frequent diner schemes are also a great way to get the loyalty of your customer base," he added.

Making sure your menu sells​

Do​

Describe your food well, use appetising and evocative descriptions to really whet the appetite of your customers. There are lots of ways you can do this, the following are simply a few examples:

• Describing the cooking method eggently braised/pan fried
• Confirm the food's origin eg Scottish Salmon, Welsh Lamb
• Mention the sauce eg "dressed in a light lemon sauce"
• Describe the presentation eg on a bed of / garnished with
• Describe the cut of meat fish eg "breast of" / "fillet of"

Design your menus in an easy-to-use, easy-to-read way, with appetising food photography if available.

Spending that little extra on the design of your menu can show your customers that you are committed to a serious food offer and increase your food sales in the process

Don't​

• Use poor photography. If the photography you have does not look appetising, or portray your products in the best light, simply don't bother - leave it out
• Frighten your customers with over complicated descriptions. Make sure you match your customer profile to the style of your menu
• Lie! Make sure you stay within the realms of the Trade Descriptions Act. There is no benefit to making a product sound better than it is only to disappoint your customer when it arrives, so make sure you live up to the expectations your menu sets

(Source: Emile Tissot)​