Roaring success

With imaginative menus and great service, Alex Clarke has set high standards at the Red Lion in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. David Hancock reports

Why my food business is a winner

We have a wide customer base, from locals popping in for a sandwich and retired folk out for comfort food, to businessmen bringing in their clients for three courses. We need to provide something different for all three, and you can't do that with a short, minimalist menu.

This broad appeal is the reason we are so busy, because we offer a selection of menus and everything is freshly prepared by a good team of chefs. We are not trying to be clever - to wow people with fancy food. It's all about good-quality, well-sourced food and a high level of consistency across the board.

This consistency, combined with sensible pricing, draws a regular and steady stream of diners. It's not necessary to charge high prices with the chefs we have - it's all about the time and the skill put into the dish rather than the cost of the ingredients. You can make your margins without having to charge silly money - value for money is so important.

I also think that, compared to the Cotswolds, for example, the pub food market here can't point to a plethora of pretty villages pubs serving decent, fresh food. In fact, there's a dearth of pub food operations like this, so if you're good, you will be busy in these parts.

Our menus

We operate a classic pub menu alongside a more imaginative carte which changes every two months, with sandwiches only served in the bar. Some come here for the traditional pub experience and go for classic comfort dishes such as Suffolk ham, free-range egg and chips (£7.50) or steak and ale pie with shortcrust pastry (£9.95), or they opt for a sandwich, perhaps beef and horseradish (£5.50).

Others order off the main menu - rack of lamb with redcurrant and rosemary jus (£14.95) or pot-roasted rabbit (£12.50), while regulars tend to go for the more unusual daily specials, which generally feature fresh fish. We also offer a choice of roasts on Sunday (£8.95-£10.50).

Our best-selling dishes

This is split between classics and imaginative specials. The steak and ale pie will never be off the menu. Another favourite is a good chicken salad, accompanied by a mango and roasted red pepper mayonnaise (£8.85) or a classic Caesar salad. Fillet and sirloin steaks (£17.50 and £14.95) are also mainstays of the menu - people often go out to eat a good steak.

How I recruit and motivate staff

Good front-of-house staff are so important. Mine come with passion and very welcoming and friendly personalities - they enjoy being with people. I look for the right personality rather than the best silver service or professionalism at the job.

With regards to motivation, tips are still very important. We split them equally between the cleaner and the pot-washer right through to the manager and head chef and it's done shift by shift, not an average over the month. So the amount they get is closely allied to how they performed on a particular shift. When the tips are good, they know they've done well.

Best investment

My chefs. They are an expensive investment and my kitchen staff costs are way higher than when I arrived at the pub, but our food is so much better, and I'm more confident with the product we offer.

Marketing and PR

I have created a review form and we give one to each customer with the bill. We are trying to encourage feedback, be it congratulatory or indicating where we can improve. More importantly, the form asks for an email address so we can keep customers informed on what's happening at the pub, such as one of our wine-tasting events.

It's wrong to think that if people are coming through the door to eat, you don't need to advertise. It doesn't matter how good you are, you have to be at the front of people's minds, so a feature in the local press is so important, as is emailing our monthly newsletter to everyone on our customer database. These initiatives work.

Future plans

We have planning permission to build eight high-spec bedrooms in a new building to the rear of the pub and work should start over the winter. The designer is also developing ideas to spruce up/upgrade the bar and restaurant areas in line with the new bedrooms.

Top tips

This business is a way of life and you work hard to make it a success. If you find the right people and invest in them properly, it will give you the confidence to step back slightly. But you can't walk away completely from the day-to-day running of the pub, as its success will always be dependent on how much time you spend there. Even if I'm not pulling every pint, the more time I spend talking to the customer and listening to the staff, the better the place will be. A successful pub like this requires high maintenance and a highly visible presence.

PUB FACTS

Owners: Alex Clarke (freehold)

Turnover: 25% increase since buying the pub four years ago

GP food: 65%

GP drink: 65%

Covers a week: 550

Food sales as % of turnover: 70%

The Red Lion,

Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1QY Tel: 01799 530 601

www.redlionhinxton.co.uk