Business boosters
Ideas for driving food sales at your pub
Takeaway pizzas
Where: Puesdown Inn, Compton Abdale, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
www.puesdown.cotswoldinns.com
The idea: Not content with just one successful restaurant, licensees John and Maggie Armstrong decided to open another at the same site. "We had a small bar-restaurant area that we only used on Sunday lunchtimes and for private parties. John suggested in jest that we install a pizza oven in there and, after thinking about it, we realised it could work," says Maggie. Surrounded by small villages and with the nearest pizza takeaway and restaurant a 20-minute drive away, the couple realised that the Puesdown was ideally situated to open a pizzeria.
How it works: The pair converted the area into a pizza restaurant with its own pizza oven and counter so that customers can see the chefs at work. "We've tried to keep it as authentic as possible with floor to ceiling tiles, gingham tablecloths, oils and hanging garlic," Maggie explains. Pizzas are of the traditional stone-baked variety with Italian beer and reasonably priced Italian wines on offer. "The wines have been sourced by our normal supplier to suit the pizza restaurant — at just over £10 a bottle they are great for a family on a budget," she adds.
Business benefit: Although still in its infancy, the pizza restaurant is already proving to be very popular. "We did a leaflet drop in the nearby villages with a buy-one-get-one-half-price opening offer. People have come in who have never set foot in the place before and we served about 400 covers in the first two weeks," Maggie explains. Fortunately, interest in the duo's new venture has not been at the expense of the pub's main restaurant. "It's almost a different market, with a much earlier trade, but it's attracting business for the main restaurant too. People are asking to look at the restaurant menu when they come to collect their pizzas and are making bookings," says Armstrong.
Top tip on making the idea work: Do your groundwork first. Speak to customers and consider your location to ensure there is a demand for your offering.
