Product trial: Taking it to Hart
Kevin Chan took over the freehold of the White Hart in Preston Bissett, Buckinghamshire, eight months ago, and set about building up a reputation for good food.
"As locations go, the pub is tucked away in the corner of the village so reaching out to the local community has been essential," he says.
"During my short time here I've established a number of regulars, including mature couples and young families so we have a good mix of customers."
Building up the business
Drawing on more than 26 years experience in the catering industry, Kevin has built up built up a business which now averages around 150 covers a week.
"I prepare and cook as much as I can from scratch and have two fulltime members of staff supporting me in the pub.
"The challenge is to keep the menu as fresh as possible by bringing in new menu ideas, whether it's a new dish or putting a twist on a classic," says Kevin.
Keen to bring some new inspiration to his menu, Kevin agreed to trial a selection of the Atlantic Foods range of meats, sauces and dressings.
He explains: "The meats come pre-cooked, which meant I could prepare a whole rack of BBQ ribs in just 20 minutes. I glazed them with warmed House of Lords Deluxe BBQ sauce and served them with a side salad and chunky chips.
"My customers loved them so much when I put the ribs on the menu they made up 60 per cent of my evening orders!
"I was also really impressed with the roast, skin-on chicken. I used it on salads, with noodles and my particular favourite - steamed rice served with Atlantic's Texas Spice BBQ Sauce. The kick worked really well with the simple flavours of the rest of the dish."
Favourable feedback
Customer feedback was that the dishes were a change from the regular menu, with the more adventurous flavours going down well with male customers - "they particularly enjoyed the ribs with a pint and the chili chicken worked well as a light bite," Kevin says.
The pub saw a five per cent increase in food sales across the two-week trial, despite having only updated a couple of dishes on the menu. The ribs achieved a GP of 65 per cent.
Kevin now plans to make the ribs a regular feature on the menu, and will also use the roast chicken again, he says.
"The sauces were particularly good, as you can use them as a marinade, dip or to dress up a dish - just by changing the sauce it keeps my menu fresh," says Kevin. "The chicken worked just as well with the Peri Peri, and the zestiness put a new slant on the dish".
