BBC 'boot camp' trains host in trade survival
by Ewan Turney
A Warwickshire host is reaping the benefits of expert advice and a refurbishment following a visit from BBC daytime show Mind Your Own Business.
Despite Dave Howarth and wife Eileen tripling takings at the Friendly Inn in Frankton inside 18 months, the pair were still struggling to pay themselves above the minimum wage.
The dilemma the couple faced was whether to turn the pub and restaurant into a fine dining, destination food outlet or try to increase wet sales - and that's where the Beeb came in.
The pair attended 'boot camp' with award-winning licensee and chef Paul Clerehugh of the Crooked Billet, Stoke Row, Oxfordshire, and Baroness Margot Carmichael, who owns pubs and clubs in Lancashire.
'Paul wanted us to turn into more of a restaurant and said if the food was good enough people would come to the pub,' said Dave Howarth. 'Margot advised us to go with the lowest common denominator - £5 a meal - and get them in, feed them and get them out type of stuff.'
In addition to the boot camp, a BBC makeover team set to work in the dining room. 'It is a vast improvement and appropriately painted sky blue and white,' said Howarth, referring to Coventry City's football team colours.
'They left it up to us which way we chose to go and in the end we have done a bit of both. I felt it was morally wrong to dump the bar and turn into a restaurant as we are the only pub in the village.
'But we have not gone as cheap as Margot would have liked as we didn't want to lose the quality.'
The pub now offers two meals for £20 with a free bottle of wine on Tuesdays to Thursdays and food sales are up.
The BBC revisit the pub on 18 October to check on progress and the show is due to air in January.
