Driving new food business: Taste the difference at the The Falcon, Leicestershire
Every pub menu walks the line between the traditional pub classics customers want to see and offering something a bit different to drive trade.
The Falcon in Long Whatton, Leicestershire, may look like a typical traditional village pub, but licensee Jad Otaki has used his Lebanese roots and culinary skills to produce a distinctive - and popular - food offer.
Jad agrees that everyone is looking for something different when they eat out, and has chosen a variety of homemade Mediterranean and English dishes.
The Falcon's menu was produced after Jad, who has more than 30 years' experience in catering and hospitality, considered what customers really wanted from an eating experience.
The emphasis on providing something unique could have proved a costly mistake if it didn't turn out to be popular. Since taking on the tenancy of the Everards-owned pub, near Loughborough, 18 months ago, Jad has achieved a profitable food offer which combines variety and quality.
Jad came to the UK from Lebanon at 18 and since then has developed his skills working in a variety of hotels, restaurants and pubs, including a brief stint at London's Claridges.
Jad, named one of Everards' top-performing licensees last month, says: "Being a trained chef means I can offer my customers different things and have the confidence that it will be of the highest standard and something special.
"We have a set menu which has Spanish, English, Mexican and Lebanese dishes, but we also offer an additional menu that changes each week. We don't call it a special menu - I believe all our food on offer is special, which is what good food choice should be."
Jad is part of a family of talented cooks - his grandfather ran a restaurant in Lebanon and both his mother and sister are capable of whipping up dishes as required.
Keeping an eye on trends is important, he believes. "Whenever I am out and I try a new meal I think about how I could offer this to my customers and what spices and oils I could add to give it an extra special taste," he says.
"We know that everyone loves different food and tastes such as Indian, Spanish and Mexican so I try to mix all these flavours to create dishes that have wide appeal."
One of the most popular choices on the Falcon's menu is the Mezzah, a selection of mainly healthy Lebanese dishes including lamb kibbah and salmon and prawn brochette, all seasoned to Jad's own recipes.
The pub also puts on a number of events for its customers - over the summer, these include a Lebanese night with dancers and a clay pigeon shoot day out.
