Marston's pub offers 50p meals

The first pub to offer £1 credit crunch meals, is now offering 50p meals.

Licensee Tony Rabbitts, of Marston's leasehold the Four Crosses, in Hatherton, Staffordshire, is offering his £1 meals for 50p on Saturday lunchtimes, but may extend the deal to other quieter weekday trading times.

Rabbitts said the £1 offer had pulled in a minimum 400 covers a day since it was introduced in May last year, but had dropped off to 250 to 300 covers a day in the past two months. The 50p offer was trialled on Saturday, with 240 covers served in three hours.

Rabbitts said: "We needed to do another deal to bring more people in again. The 50p deal filled the place on Saturday and we will extend it to other quieter trading times during the week."

The 50p offer features the same dishes as the £1 deal with a choice of five starters, 15 mains and nine desserts. Mains include cottage pie, ravioli, chilli, sausage and mash and burger and chips and chicken and chips.

The £1 deal was also extended to Sundays two months ago and a £2.50 roast is also offered.

Other deals introduced to generate interest include buy three-course you get a giant cod and chips for £1 on Friday nights.

Rabbitts said: "The £1 deal has been a big boost to wet sales. We have put on events in the evenings too, such as bingo, karaoke and quizzes and people will come in at 7pm for something to eat and stay in the pub until 10.30pm drinking." Rabbitts believes the £1 meal deal has generated him £120,000 worth of PR in the past year.

The pub is currently promoting a three-course for £10 Christmas fayre menu for December.