The spice of life

There are two schools of thought when it comes to starting a new job. Some employers like to give you time to settle in, others believe that the in-at-the-deep-end approach is the way to separate the men from the boys.

For Rufus Hall, taking up the chief executive role at Orchid Group in June 2006 undoubtedly fell into the hit-the-ground running category. Having taken the helm of the 21-outlet Noble House and Oriental Restaurant Group following its acquisition by private equity firm GI Partners, he knew that an important part of his brief was expansion. 

"I thought we'd open 20 to 30 sites a year," says Rufus. "In fact, on my first day in the office they told me we had a bid in for 290 Spirit pubs."

The fact that the newly-formed and previously unknown Orchid won that auction raised a few eyebrows both in the City and across the pub trade, but it is evidence of GI's faith in Rufus and the management team he was assembling.

The deal saw Orchid pick up a diverse portfolio of pubs, including the Country Carvery, Q's and Bar Room Bar formats. Many were already familiar to Rufus, whose CV includes a stint as managing director of Punch Retail before it was originally hived off into Spirit. Before joining Orchid he also ran the Ha! Ha! Bar & Canteen brand for Yates and then Laurel.

Oriental flavours​

A strong food offer was clearly a common denominator across many of these pubs and brands, and it was this experience that gave Rufus the necessary steel in his soul.

The growing popularity of oriental flavours and dishes, and increasing consumer interest in fresh, 'real' traditional pub food are not trends which can always be easily reconciled, but it sums up Orchid's approach.

The company has embarked on a £2.5m refurbishment programme for its six prestigious London oriental outlets. 

Many of the Eastern flavours developed in these high-profile outlets are finding their way onto other menus. A new Thai restaurant combined with a traditional English pub, the Norbiton and Dragon, opened in Kingston in October 2006 after a £150,000 facelift, offering a mix of Thai classics and English fare. At Drift, the renamed and refurbished former Jim Thompson's in Wimbledon, South West London, the cuisine is 'Pacific Rim', which takes in everything from burgers to noodles.

Elsewhere, the Country Carvery outlets are being refurbished and relaunched, with the choice always including at least one locally sourced roast.

Like all of the outlets Orchid inherited, the overt branding is being dropped, with some converting to original pub names after years of branding. With Country Carvery, this has a clear advantage in removing the inevitable comparison between that brand and the market leader, Mitchells & Butlers' Toby Carvery.

Not that comparisons worry Rufus too much. "We admire Mitchells & Butlers, but we're very happy trading alongside them. Everyone knows Toby Carvery, and they do what they do very well. Maybe having been to a Toby they'll decide to try one of our carveries down the road, probably without even knowing who owns it."

Simon Dodd, Orchid's commercial director, adds: "For us, the pub is the champion, not the brand. I've never seen any research that suggests people want more branded, generic pubs."

This drive for individuality, along with the relative sophistication of the food being served across the Orchid estate would worry many operators. "You can either hide behind the skills shortage, or you can embrace it," says Rufus.

With this in mind, one key difference between Orchid and previous owners of many of its pubs is a drive to push power back down to pub managers - something Orchid sees as a reinvention of the traditional 'landlord'.

Other differences are far from traditional. The touches that differentiate Orchid from other operators are "food, wine, coffee and flowers," sums up Rufus.

Are those the scents of success? Orchid clearly believes so.