Saucy ideas
products on trial
Heinz Foodservice is
encouraging licensees to improve table presentation and consumer perception
of their pubs in a new
Heinz Table Top Community initiative. The company is encouraging licensees to feature glass bottles of Heinz (342g) and HP (255g) sauces in chrome sauce holders. The holders come supplied with branded
napkins, placemats and coasters to help improve front-of-house presentation. We asked a Suffolk licensee to put the concept to the test by trialling the holders for a month in her pub.
Pub: the George, Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk
Name: Tori Harman, licensee
Menu: A mix of pub classics and traditional British dishes
Outlet style: Traditional community pub. This Greene King tenancy attracts a variety of customers; from young professionals at lunchtime to locals in the evening and families at weekends.
Wet:dry split: 70:30
Average covers per week: 400
Bestselling main courses: Home-made fishcakes (£7.50); steak and kidney pudding (£7.95); chicken with bacon, bbq sauce and cheese (£7.50).
Sauce stocked pre-trial: Brakes own brand - sachets
in bar area and outside;
ramekins in dining area.
Pub view: Attractive, but you need space to store them.
Did they help improve
table presentation?:
Yes, but they are not suitable for all occasions. They were perfect for our outside eating area, breakfasts and the bar area. In the dining area, they were fine at lunchtime, but customers thought they were not right for evening dining.
Did they help drive food sales?:
We didn't notice a direct link to an increase in food sales, but the fact that we were using a top branded sauce was
commented on by customers. The sauce holders, together with the Heinz sauce, were very noticeable in the pub. We found consumption of the HP sauce was far higher than we have experienced with our previous brand.
Stock or drop?: I would recommend the sauce
holders to pubs that serve breakfast or have a large outside area.
Star rating: *****
(All star ratings are out of five, with one poor and five excellent)
catering for the needs of licensees
Get into Food is sponsored by Brakes
As a major supplier to the pub sector Brakes understands the needs of licensees and is able to offer products and services that not only make their lives easier but enable them to
offer exciting food, irrelevant of the skill level in the kitchen.
With more than 15,000 own-brand and manufacturer
products, all developed with our customers' needs in mind, our product range offers diversity to suit the individual needs of the licensee.
For example, Brakes offers a range of about 50 different types of sausages. Brakes bangers range from pre-cooked pork fours through to a chilled venison, pork and red wine sausage - whatever the establishment or customer base, Brakes claims to have a
suitable product. Range and quality are constantly reviewed, with around 300 own-brand products launched last year alone.
Pubs can place their order via the phone or online, which enables customers to get a product description, photo and nutritional information. Orders made before 4.30pm are delivered the next day, but flexibility of online ordering fits the working patterns of pubs, allowing orders to be placed at night after closing.
Every month Brakes has around 60 to 70 special offers, enabling pubs to improve their GP. To help pubs Brakes has a range of brochures that can really add value. All of these are available to download from its website at brake.co.uk. For more ideas Brakes website has webcasts showing how to prepare simple recipes.
l If you would like to find out how Brakes can help your pub food offering, then call
0845 6069090
