Food for thought

We ask industry experts for their views on the future of pub food

Prime targets

As a food consultant,

Alec Howard influenced the type of meals served in pubs. Now head of food

at Hall & Woodhouse he reveals the opportunities

and threats facing the sector

former food consultant to leisure operators including Yates Group, Laurel, and Greene King

Boom time for pub food? Well, yes and no. There is no doubt food is increasingly seen as the salvation of pubs, due in part to the impending smoking ban and a growing, sophisticated and promiscuous customer base. This presents some fantastic opportunities, evidenced by the numbers of former brewers and pubcos now taking more money on food than anything else. There are also challenges - a combin-ation of opportunities and threats that confront us all.

1 Authenticity

This is a huge issue. The consumer is much better educated in all issues regarding food, will already have had the genuine experience and will know what to expect, how dishes should look and, perhaps more importantly, taste. They want the real deal - that means, for example, that the ubiquitous facsimile of a Thai green curry available on many pub menus no longer makes the grade. In fact, it's nowhere near good enough. To succeed, dishes must be genuinely authentic.

2 Chefs, chefs, chefs

Media saturation of a chef's cool image and the perceived excitement of the kitchen means customers believe they know what's happening behind the swing doors. They're likely to think: "I don't want bought-in microwave-reheated meals - give me real food properly cooked in saucepans on a stove by a chef." Craft and skill must be displayed more blatantly in dishes or on menus.

3 Safe adventures

Here the customer says: "Show me something really new - but please don't scare me!" Chefs can get in a real mess here - the customer rejects lime and geranium-crusted cod in a liquorice emulsion, but is interested in those little twists that are in context and appropriate to the dish - globe artichoke mash, salmon confit and smoked tomato mayo. The initial "wow factor" and presentation are more important than misplaced innovation. This is a hard balancing act, as everyone has a different interpretation of safety and adventure.

4 Provenance

This is almost a frenzy now - and I can't be the only person annoyed by the woman who does the voiceover for M&S adverts.

For us at H&W in Dorset, this focus is a godsend, as we already feature Dorset Blue Vinney, Denhay Cheddar, West Bexington-grown chillies and Isle of Purbeck ice cream. Supermarkets are obviously leading on this, but in my opinion it will become an increasingly important way for pubs to demonstrate their differences within their own sector.

5 Flexibility

USA Today claims 1,900 coffee choices are available in Starbucks. Whether this is true or not - and I really can't be bothered to count them - customers are getting used to having exactly what they want, in the way they want it. For pub food this will mean layered menus that enable customers to build up the meal they want from a range of choices. Taken a step further, specific ingredients can be layered by product type or flavour profile to let the consumer build the dishes themselves. I am not suggesting this should form the whole menu, but

making it easy and clear for the customer to create their own choices will become increasingly important. Burger King summed this up best of all by saying to the consumer: "Here's our menu - but have it your way."

6 Weighty issues

Undeniably health and nutrition are on the agenda for good, but it's vital to watch out for fad diets. The Atkins phenomenon led some operators to change their offering

fundamentally, only to experience a strong counter-swing.

Permanent, health-related issues such as salt permeate and due to legislation and Government involvement, consumers want to know - and have an absolute right to know - exactly what they are putting into their mouths.

Some operators are up in arms and consider this to be impractical on an operational level, but it may well be a problem that the market and legislation forces us to address in the future.

7 Delivery

This is a personal quest for me - all the great operators and concepts achieve their status by getting their delivery right. Whatever you do, make sure you do it perfectly, especially during your peak period: food must come out from the kitchen just as quickly and taste just as good at 8pm on a Saturday as it does on a Tuesday.

Ben Bartlett

Catering development manager,

Union Pub Company

"The growth area in pubs over the coming year or so will be food. Every pub does not necessarily have to 'do food', but every pub should be selling food. Just as supermarkets achieve an extra sale from a customer buying a bar of chocolate, pubs can capitalise on impulse buys such as sandwiches or rolls.

"The standard of food in pubs is increasing steadily. As more and more pubs look to source good, local produce, the days of the two-for-one, poor-quality offerings become numbered. All the findings from Ireland and now Scotland are very encouraging for food pubs facing the forthcoming smoking ban - it's certainly a big growth opportunity and the figures for food sales are very impressive."

Judi Houghton

Catering development manager, Thwaites

"The pub food market is going from strength to strength. People know they can order restaurant-quality food in pubs with quality products and quality service - it's no longer the old-fashioned chicken-in-a-basket offering.

"People can get a fantastic dining experience in a pub, whereas 10 years ago customers had to go to a restaurant and pay restaurant prices for that. But no-one is perfect and we've always got to look outside the box to develop our businesses. There are still so many pubs only serving food from 12pm to 2pm and from 5.30pm to 9pm. We have to offer food when people want it, even if it's just bread and olives or pâté, which don't need the skills of a chef."

Peter Backman

Managing director, foodservice information research company Horizons

"Despite 25 years of growth, the pub food business is entering a particularly tricky period and pub operators have to think about their food business more creatively than ever.

"Several challenges arise from the success of pub food sales: profit margins are very different on wet and dry sales, for example. This difference, coupled with higher handling, preparation and storage costs of food, means that as a pubs increases its food sales, it must allow for a possible decline in its profit margin.

"Today, the average mark-up on food in pubs is 2.9 (menu price = cost x 2.9 plus VAT). Restaurants apply an average mark-up of 3.4."

Susan Nowak

Co-author, new Camra Good Pub Food Guide

"Food miles, the environment and real food are the way forward for pubs. Diners want wholesome, natural food, such as locally

raised - or 'traceable' - meat and poultry,

free-range farm eggs and locally-grown vegetables. Suppliers should be listed on the menu and their ingredients in dishes - Cumbrian fell-bred lamb, for example.

"The smoking ban is a great catering opportunity. Many foodies tell me a smoky atmosphere puts them off eating in pubs - tempt them in to replace departed smokers!"

Peter Wright

Executive chef, Geronimo Inns

"Everyone seems to be jumping on the same bandwagon: pubs doing food. The danger is that this could have a negative impact on the industry, as lots of pubs are opening up without proper chefs. And there is a real backlash against the gastropubs - prices have risen too far. People are fed up with paying £17 or £18 for a main course in a pub when they could buy that in a restaurant with p