Project update 2: Confidence is building

WINNING FOOTBALL matches is a confidence game - the more the team wins, the better they play. Just look at the England football team which is proving to be the exception that proves the rule at the moment.

But running a pub can be a

confidence game too, particularly a rural pub where, as new licensees, you need to make a real impression with the locals to give yourself a winning start.

Our business development expert Carl May of Catered 4 was quick to pinpoint that confidence is one of the key problems besetting our rural pub, the Hack & Spade in North Yorkshire, as licensees Anne and Alastair Dowson-Park battle to overcome its image of being more of a restaurant.

"First and foremost I would like to help Anne and Alastair regain their

self- and business confidence. With their low level of trade they feel demotivated," he says.

Spreading the word

Carl, together with all our category champions, has suggested a variety of strategies to achieve this, ranging from better signage outside - so it can shout out its message to both the community and passing trade - to updating the internal décor.

Anne and Alastair, who took over the pub last summer, have been working hard to correct people's perceptions of the Hack & Spade, and last week were busy painting the bar area cream and red to give it a warmer, more confident feel. They are also looking at covering their existing furniture following advice from our furniture champion Vintage Contracts.

Carl believes it is important to get Anne, who currently runs the kitchen, out into the pub more often alongside Alastair. "With all small local pubs it is very important for the owners to be seen and with Anne in the kitchen this does not help to convey the correct atmosphere," he says.

As a result they have made contact with a local college, and are hoping to bring in a trainee chef, which will free up Anne to enable her to spend more time front of house. The pub is working closely with food champion Brakes to give its menu more of an identity - one way Carl suggested this could be achieved would be by asking a local butcher to create a unique sausage for it!

Other recommendations from Carl which the couple are considering are:

- introducing more relaxing seating to bring back the 'pub

feel' - and some form of large rustic matting to break up the sense of the pub being hollow

- a more rustic presentation of the menu on a smaller one-sided sheet of card, giving the opportunity to change it more frequently to attract more customers

- the addition of both of their names to pub stationery to convey the host and hostess feeling to their customers

- active involvement in local activities through sponsoring a local junior football side or a local charity

- opening for food at 6pm instead of 7pm to catch the 'I can't be bothered to cook' brigade, with the addition of an early menu offering drivers and children free soft drinks

- a promotion for midweek evenings along the lines of 'a two course menu for £26, including a bottle of house wine for two' - helping to drive the business without devaluing the product.

Once these points have been addressed Carl will look at a marketing plan to help spread the message about the pub to the community.

"Carl has underlined a lot of things that we already knew - but it's good to hear that we are on the right track," comments Anne.

"We are now downsizing the size of the menu, and are introducing some real Yorkshire dishes. If we can get a trainee chef we think it will make a real difference to the business if it can get me out front next to Alastair."

Talking to some of the locals, Carl realised there is a real sense that they want the pub to succeed. The months to come will tell whether the advice

of our champions can make the

difference.

WINE

Wine champion Pernod Ricard thought the Hack & Spade had a reasonably good wine offer, which is in keeping with its food-led status. But it identified some opportunities for improvement which should help to increase wine sales.

The pub's wines-by-the-glass offer came from a bag-in-box dispenser behind the bar, that was hidden from view. Category management director Tim Foster felt that offering a small range of 250ml single-serve bottles (including a 200ml sparkling wine) would improve customer's perception of wine by the glass, and stimulate impulse and repeat purchase.

"There was also a need to give wine more visibility in the pub," continues Tim. "At present the wine list is only given out to customers with the menu. Finding somewhere to display the range, or by using a smart-looking blackboard or table tent cards to advertise the range of wines, would give customers the confidence to experiment with the range."

Our wine champion also thought that the wine list was a bit long with 32 wines on offer by the bottle, most of which were unknown. Pernod Ricard's advice would be to reduce this to about 20 wines and achieve a balance of known brands, which offer reassurance to many customers, as well as a selection of less well-known lines for the customer who prefers to experiment.

Offering single-serve bottles will improve customers' perception of wine by the glass

THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR

Given the lack of a village or church hall in Whashton, Anne and Alastair have a huge opportunity to create a focal point for the village at the Hack & Spade, according to refurbishment specialist Mercury Facilities Management.

But marketing and development manager Brian Canavan identified immediately the clash between the cosy country pub exterior and the restaurant décor on the inside.

He is advising the licensees on internal decor, and layout issues which will help them give the Hack & Spade more of a 'pubby' feel.

"We will also advise on how to achieve a refurbishment should they decide to go ahead with their idea of a local shop in an unused part of the property," says Brian. "This is something that might help support the idea of the pub as the focal point for the community."

Brian is looking at how to create an external area for diners and smokers in a cost-effective way - although the licensees want to keep a garden at the rear of the property for themselves.

SOFT DRINKS

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) wants to help the Hack & Spade become the hub of the community through returning it to a real pub feel.

But how can soft drinks help? Pete Johnson, shopper marketing manager ­ social occasions for CCE, says offering a strong selection of key brands is imperative ­ particularly in view of the huge price difference between pubs and shops.

"Drinkers in pubs are paying more than they would in a supermarket and with soft drinks the price gulf between the off-trade and on-trade is even wider than it is with alcohol," he says. "An on-trade pack offering of the nation¹s favourite brands ­ across all suppliers ­ is imperative." Previously the pub has sold Coke in cans over the bar, and Pete recommended using bottles to deliver something special to drinkers.

"The whole drinking experience will be made more pleasant through simple spirit and mixer activation with Diageo and a supply of drinks mats and other point-of-sale around Coca-Cola and Schweppes to help the seating area feel like a pub," he added. CCE is also offering practical training on serve and service through its Ma