Credit Cards sprouting green shoots perhaps?
What a lovely lunch we had today. I was working and we had a gentle stream of drinkers and diners which kept three of us busy and all was well. I then got chatting to a couple of guys in business attire when they were about togo. Firstly they had paid their bill and happily told me how much they had enjoyed their lunch and how reasonable it was. Good show. Secondly they told me that they worked in the city and that the worst was definitely over for them. Great. Finally, they paid with a company expenses card and said that it was the first meal that they had had on the firm for over six months but the embargo was now lifted - yippee! Maybe we can look forward to a few more business lunches again - not mind blowing, liver crisping, head banging blow outs but the odd pint and the odd glass of wine type 'proper' lunches. Good news indeed.
On the employment front we still haven't found a suitable applicant for our front of house position. Not enough stamina, not enough commitment, not smart enough, too many other commitments, not flexible enough. All in all it makes us appreciate what good staff we have and how difficult a job it is to do. I just wish that the general public realised how difficult it is to work in a service environment which is what a Pub is. Not an occasional, do it when there is nothing else to do type job but a professional, hard graft, proper job which requires skills and training to perform well. Lets raise a glass to all the staff who work so hard and conscientiously is the pub trade - Cheers!
You may have gathered that The Inn is a bit of a nutty wine pub among other things. However, the latest list has taken a huge amount of effort to get together, but hopefully it will be out in all its glory tomorrow, Friday. I know it will be worthwhile. Staff and customers enjoy the wines I find and a good deal of trust has built up between clients and ourselves such that they often don't choose a wine but just ask for 'something we'll like at under x amount'. It is quite a compliment really and we have lots of fun trying new things with our customers which helps to build a big family feeling about the place which in turn propagates a great atmosphere which you can feel as soon as you walk through the door.
August can be a bit of a quiet time for us, especially as we are an adult friendly pub as opposed to a family pub. There is an aura of peace and tranquillity that descends which makes me very nervous. Tills not ringing as loudly; staff not rushing about quite as fast; add to that, it is the time of year when I get my ever so modest pension statement which shows me that my pot has diminished in the last twelve months by more than the sum of my contributions. It does beg the question why? However, I am one of these boringly old fashioned people who believes that a bit of personal pension has to be among the pots prepared for retirement and as that time is some ten plus years off, things will have picked up by then and it will be worth having. Lets hope so.
Back to current times and I am happy to report that things at The Inn have been buzzing. We have a pretty full complement for our Wood Oven Night this Sunday and have had some events which, while not being absolutely packed out, have certainly worth running. Little wine tastings; an award ceremony for the biggest sh*t stirrer in the pub; a homemade Kebab night; they have all added to the atmospheres not to mention to the cash flow with little or no cost, just a bit of organisational effort.
I am always looking out for ways to market The Inn and retain and attract customers and the latest thing is Twitter. Don't ask me how it works or if it will be worthwhile because I don't know. All I do know is that I am now tweeting, have about twelve followers, quite enjoy it and will report back on its affect on revenue. I also have to tell you that at least one operator is 'having it right off' to coin a phrase, with the help of Twitter so I am game to try. He can organise an event on Thursday, tweet to his several thousand follows and have a crowd of five hundred for the event on Saturday. How cool is that? Brilliant.
Finally, I am pleased to report that all is well on the Pig front. Two sows and eighteen piglets are all doing very well and, should we want to, could be weaned next week. However, the last litter did so well on the 'self weaning' method that we will probably do the same again. That way I expect to be serving our first batch of home bred, locally raised pork around November time. Maybe see you for a Pork Chop or a bit of Belly Pork? I'll recommend a fine Pinot or maybe a pint of Black Sheep to go with it. Rock On!!
Gerry Price
The Inn @ West End
