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Alison Baker looks at more business-boosting concepts
Pudding club
Where: Red Lion, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire,
? redlionhinxton.co.uk
The idea: Launched in June, the pudding club was the inspiration of newly-recruited pastry chef, Regan Neaves. Formerly the owner of a desserts company, Regan's passion for puddings was contagious and pub owner Alex Clarke agreed to give the pudding club a trial.
How it works: For £15.95, diners are offered a choice of starters and light main courses followed by a buffet of seven different home-made desserts. Varying each time, offerings include sticky date pudding with caramel sauce, mascarpone and blueberry ripple, roasted pistachio and amaretti stuffed peaches, chocolate and mango roulade, as well as classics such as tiramisu, Black Forest gateau and lemon tart. Customers also benefit from recommended wines on special offer by the glass and a complimentary tasting of a chosen dessert wine.
Business benefit: A monthly treat, the pudding night is always a sell-out, with an average of 60 customers per event, all lured by the friendly club atmosphere and the promise of fresh, original desserts made using seasonal ingredients. Although the restaurant is dedicated to the event, Alex is keen to minimise disruption to normal trade, so any remaining tables in the restaurant and those in the bar are still available for booking, albeit at restricted times to work around the pudding club. The event is also held on a different day of the week each time. While customers are given the opportunity to visit the dessert buffet three times, their eyes are often bigger than their stomachs. "Few manage a third visit, despite much big talk earlier on," Alex explains.
To promote both the pudding night and Regan's new dessert menu, during her first month in the job, all puddings were offered at a special price of £3.50. The pub has also introduced a pudding club taster plate to its menu at a price of £6.95.
Top tip on making the idea work:
Have your dessert chef at hand to talk the guests through the puddings. Regan serves the diners herself while answering any questions. The customers are also given a recipe for one of the desserts on the pudding club menu that evening.
Privilege card
Where: the Great House, Gills Green, Hawkhurst, Kent; the Farm House, West Malling, Kent; and the Gun, Chiddingly, E Sussex
? elitepubs.com
The idea: Pub and farm shop privilege card.
How it works: The Elite pubs group offers a privilege card to customers entitling them to, among other benefits, a 10% discount on food in any of the group's three pubs, plus a 10% discount on purchases above £10 from Chaussy's - local farm shops and Continental deli markets being opened at all Elite pubs this year. Cardholders also get a discount at an online shop currently being set up.
Business benefit: The privilege card scheme boasts around 4,000 members, all paying a membership fee of £10 per annum, and helps make the group's farm shops more price-competitive. Great House shop manager Christophe Parmentier says, "Many people can't afford to use farm shops every day, so we introduced a discount scheme for our privilege cardholders as a way of being more competitive price-wise." The pubs and the shops aim to source as many products as possible locally, with the pubs often supplying the shops with home-made deli goods. "As far as possible, the pubs and the shops use the same suppliers, which helps to promote cross trade," Christophe explains.
Top tip on making the idea work: "Offer a discount rather than points and vouchers, otherwise customers think they are getting something when, in fact, they are not."
Summer BBQ and crazy golf parties
Where: Sun in the Wood, Ashmore
Green, Berkshire,
? suninthewood.co.uk
The idea: Keen to put his pub garden to better use, licensee Philip Davison came up with the idea of creating a crazy golf course. "I wanted something unique that could be enjoyed by all ages," he explains. "There's very little a family can do together these days, but people from the ages of three to 90 all enjoy a game of crazy golf."
Philip got to work designing the course and built the whole thing himself with a little help from a carpenter. The project cost him £3,000.
How it works: The nine-hole course opened in 2004 and has been more popular than Philip could have ever imagined. "Customers come for lunch and stay to play a round of golf, or come for the golf and then have a drink or meal with the family," he says. The course is also popular with companies who use it for staff events and parties.
The pub offers a package that includes both golf and a seasonal menu; in summer,
a barbecue menu and two rounds of golf
are available at £11.95 per person or £13.95 on a Friday or Saturday evening, subject
to a minimum of 16 people. "Companies
like it because it is unique and very good value for money. We probably get about
two to three party bookings a week," says Philip.
Business benefit: In addition to party bookings, the course attracted 7,000 people last summer alone, with approximately another 1,000 players during the winter months. "For those who turn up and play, we charge £1 a round, which allows us to keep the course updated and in good repair," Philip explains. Playing golf is thirsty work and helps build up an appetite, so Philip also benefits from all the food and drink sales that this passion for putting brings.
Top tip on making the idea work:
Make the course as accessible as possible. "Ours is floodlit and built on solid ground and gravel, so it's an all-year-round activity," says Philip. "We've just taken a Christmas lunch booking because the group want to play crazy golf after their meal."
