Business boosters
Ideas for driving food sales at your pub
Big catch
Where: the Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton, North Yorkshire
www.wensleydaleheifer.co.uk
The idea: Adding fish and chips to your specials board may not seem the most innovative of ideas — unless it is among the biggest and most expensive in the country. At the Wensleydale Heifer they offer one pound of Whitby cod and as many hand-cut chips as the customer can manage. Chef/owner David Moss says: "It's a bit of fun that has helped us to gain publicity for our predominantly fish menu. The portion is so big it's virtually impossible to eat it all — and if we know someone has ordered it for a bet, we make sure it's even bigger, so that they can't win the challenge to finish it all." Fish features strongly on the menu and includes fish soup, chilli salt squid, steamed Shetland mussels and whole roast sea bass, as well as the pub's famous standard-size fish and chips served on newspaper.
How it works: Diners can take on the beast for £20. No prizes are involved, but any customer completing the feat will gain the respect of the kitchen. To date, only one has managed to defeat the giant. "The customer even asked for more chips, which was quite impressive" says David. Lesser mortals can enjoy the regular half-price fish and chips night on the last Tuesday of every month.
Business benefit: Although the pub serves up an average of five to 10 giants a week, the real gain is the publicity the stunt has attracted. "It has earned us lots of local press coverage, which is invaluable — particularly when you're located in the middle of
the Yorkshire Dales," says David. "And it's also a good way of highlighting what we do best.
We were delighted to win the AA's England's Seafood Pub of the Year award for 2007."
