West: Tailors Eating House

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

At first glance, Tailors Eating House could be mistaken for an upmarket restaurant or a posh hotel of the type that can be seen in abundance in Cheltenham. But forget the recent name change that added "Eating House", Tailors is still a wet-led outlet that caters predominantly for sports fans despite its imposing facade suggesting otherwise. Manager Cherri Dandridge says proudly: "We are still very much a drinkers' pub and 90% of sales are wet". That's not to say food is not a major consideration. Last year, Cherri and her 17-strong team grew food sales by more than 40% to average over £2,300 per week.

Despite pressure from an overcrowded high street where discounting is rife, Tailors advanced drinks turnover by 17% in the year to July 2004 to just under the £700,000 mark without compromising on price. Like many outlets in the Gloucestershire town, Tailors receives a sizeable boost in trade during Cheltenham Gold Cup week when horse racing aficionados flock in their thousands. In 2003, Tailors netted £46,000 for the week, which subsequently moved owner Wadworth to set a target of £50,000 for 2004. Cherri's team galloped ahead of that target and recorded sales just short of £57,000, achieved by a string of initiatives. These included offering full English breakfasts from eight in the morning, discos each night, a late licence until midnight and a courtesy bus service to take punters to and from the racecourse.

Cherri was also quick off the mark when the council decided to pedestrianise the road outside Tailors. She fought and won permission to transform part of the pavement area into a café-style seating area with nine tables and 36 chairs. Initially, permission was only granted for Mondays to Saturdays because of objections from a nearby church. However, the impeccable behaviour of Tailors' customers quickly won over the churchgoers and permission was extended to cover Sundays as well.

"I wanted to create a café society atmosphere like you see in Venice," she says. "Now that we've got the tables and chairs, people are more aware that we have got a lot more to offer than being known as a sports bar."