Grown-up food
Having a clear idea about the sort of atmosphere you want to create in your pub is vital. But does it still work in your favour when that clear idea means saying no to cigarette and gaming machines, not offering bar food in the evenings and banning mobile phones as well as children under 14?
Peter and Kate Miller, managers and licensees at the Fullers-owned Wykeham Arms in Winchester, Hampshire, want their pub to be an "adult haven", and if that means being strict about what is and isn't allowed, then so be it. "The main thing is that there are absolutely no children allowed," says Peter. "People come here to get away, so why should they have to sit surrounded by other people's kids? The customers know what they will be getting in here - peace and a relaxed, adult evening."
Hidden in a rabbit's warren of cobbled back streets, customers have to want to find the Wyk, as it is known to locals. Despite the less-than-obvious positioning, the pub could not be doing better. The customers are piling in, both regulars and out-of-towners.
Peter and Kate rely almost solely on the pub's good reputation for trade. "We don't advertise," says Peter. "We've never needed to. People hear about us through friends and family." But the couple are well aware that relying on word-of-mouth means keeping customers happy and keen to recommend it to others. By serving up great dishes made with local produce, and coming up with an innovative idea to get around not serving bar food, they are doing just that.
The formula for food at the Wykeham is simple. Head chef William Spencer says there are three criteria for good pub food. "The main priorities are to get the food out hot, looking good and tasty," he says. "If my mum can serve up good, hot food then why the hell shouldn't I? I'm a chef!"
During the day, the same space becomes a friendly, murmuring hidey-hole away from the shops and bars. Cashing in on businesses around the area and the ladies-who-lunch set, the menu
consists of simple but impressive dishes that change with the seasons. Dishes include pork and leek sausages with mash, smoked haddock and spring onion fishcakes and chicken and mango salad.
Kate and Peter also ensure they keep regulars happy by having a few staples that are always available come rain or shine. These include a range of sandwiches and the famous Wyke Pie - a rustic shepherd's pie topped with cheesy mash.
But the evening menu is completely different - a deliberate decision to create two separate ambiances. This technique means the pub has a wide appeal to more people by offering an appropriate environment across different occasions.
By night the Wyk's candles create a low-lit, romantic feel and the menu is a little more complex than you might expect in a typical pub. The evening menu includes dishes such as chicken liver parfait and home-cured gravadlax as starters, followed by mains including roast rack of Hampshire Down lamb, char-grilled loin of yellow-fin tuna and pan-fried chicken breast with chorizo risotto.
Hearty not unhealthy food
The different menu styles also give the staff time to cope - as most chefs will know, a busy lunchtime when customers are in more of a hurry does not go hand in hand with fiddly, dressed up dishes.
"In the evening the Wykeham is more of a dining experience," says Kate. "At lunch the menu is simpler and people can come in for a business lunch or pop in if they are doing some shopping. We make sure at lunchtime that the pub is somewhere nice and comfortable that people can come to, even if they have places to go and things to do."
What stands out most about the lunch menu - which is as close to bar food as you'll get at the Wyk - is that there is not a burger in sight. "We don't serve chips and we don't have a fryer in the kitchen," smiles Peter. The pair don't believe pub food should be synonymous with greasy, fatty food and they urge other pubs to rethink this sort of fare. The success of the Wykeham is largely based on the food and Peter and Kate are positive that their customers prefer the healthier menu. "We serve up good old- fashioned stews in the winter and fresh salads and pasta dishes in the summer. It's hearty but not unhealthy," says Kate.
In the evening there is a little concession for customers who are not in for a proper meal. "They can get a good-quality sausage on a fork with a bit of mustard," explains Kate. Indeed, for 45p customers can order a sausage to munch at the bar as they drink their pint. The Wykeham is now well-known for this tradition - not least because the chef only cooks up one kettlefull each night.
"It's part of the excitement and fun that when they're gone, they're gone. People never know if they'll get one," says Peter. "Sometimes they are all gone by 6pm and sometimes there are still some left at 9.30pm - it all depends.
Peter and Kate use a flat management model to run the pub, so no-one is the boss and there is no hierarchy. Peter is just the fall guy who deals with all the problems. In the kitchen there is a head chef but other than that, no-one has hierarchical job titles. The pastry chef and pot washer are treated exactly the same and all roles are interchangeable. "If there is no-one to do the pot wash then just about anyone ploughs in to help out - even Peter," says Kate.
"Everyone has the same level of responsibility here," says Pete. "It really helps the young staff work as a team. They all have to be prepared to fill in and do all the jobs, even if it's a step down from what they do normally."
And if the staff are happy, the customers are more likely to be happy. "It's all about the kids here," says Peter. "I spend ages interviewing each one to find out what makes them tick and whether they will fit in. They are just great and the customers love them. With such great staff, flat management works a treat."
The Wykeham continues to thrive under new owner Fullers, which acquired Hampshire brewer Gales in December 2005. "In terms of what we can see there is no change," says Peter. "You need to build up the trust and know things are safe and won't be changed," he says.
Although Kate and Peter are managers, they run the pub like it's their own business and are protective of what they have built up. "Our customers always always say to us 'never change, will you?' and we hope the new brewery will respect that," says Kate.
