Carl Smith's ideas for making the most of pub food

I've been very, very silly. For some reason, I've always had it in my head that "brand" is a dirty word, to be associated (in our industry) with tacky corporate "roll outs" ­ laminated menus, cheap nasty food and the illusion of "happy families". Last month, I explained how we intended to capitalise on our award-winning steak and kidney pie and create the "Institute of Pie Excellence". And what have we been doing? You've guessed it ­ trying to create a brand! I'm always banging on about the fact that the best food pubs are the ones that give diners something they can easily describe to their friends. In other words, pubs that have been successful in creating a "positive" brand for themselves! Whether you like it or not, your business is a brand and whilst you may not be able to afford to employ brand strategists, marketing experts and expensive ad campaigns, there's still an awful lot you can do. The first thing to remember is being single minded ­ don't try to be everything to everyone. My current chef at the Windmill happens to be good at making pasta. But there's no way spaghetti bolognaise is going on the menu there ­ it's not what we're known for. Pies are the cornerstone of our traditional British menu ­ that's what we do! It's not enough to tell people that our pies are great ­ they actually have to be great! During the last month we've been enhancing our range and developing new recipes. In short, making the pies look and taste as good as we possibly can. The next priority is to look at the practicality of production. We're investing in a top of the range Mealstream oven. In food production you must always think what/if scenarios. What if we get bombed, could we cope? It's in our interest to involve and enthuse the staff. That's why we're organising tastings. Staff should be able to tell customers what makes our pies so special. The Institute of Pie Excellence will be a success because we've identified our market, the price is right and the product is right. I won't panic if it's not an overnight success, but to help things along we'll be inviting local hotel concierges to a beer, pie and pub games evening. A successful brand is one that stands out from the rest of the competition. Most people already know that (I can be a bit slow sometimes). l Carl Smith is licensee of two Young's Pubs ­ the Guinea and the Windmill in Mayfair ­ and is a founder member and spokesman for the Campaign for Real Food