Golden Boar, golden standards

Luke Spyrou talks to Noli Dinkovski about staff checklists, service flexibility, set price menus, takeaways, delivering leaflets and mixing pub food with fine dining.

How we got here​

The Golden Boar is a joint business venture between my parents Carolyn and Vaggy, our head chef Sergio Neale, and me. We moved from Hertfordshire to take on the Enterprise leasehold in 2007. I had no previous pub experience, but have managed to use many of the retail skills I learned while on a graduate scheme with Sainsbury's. Sergio is vastly experienced, having worked at One Aldwych in the West End for 10 years.

The pub​

We are situated in a fairly affluent area of Suffolk, five miles from Newmarket. In the main bar area, which dates back to the 16th century, there are two large fireplaces and space for about 20 covers. The tables are not laid up with cutlery, but people are welcome to eat there.

There is another bar area with space for 25 to 30 covers, which are laid up. That leads on to the conservatory where we provide our a la carte menu. The conservatory is proper fine dining — chandeliers, white tablecloths and wine glasses on tables, but is also used for private functions. We usually have 35 to 40 covers in there.

Business philosophy​

If you believe in something enough, just stick with it. With the economy the way it has been, there have been times when we've questioned whether fine dining is the right thing. But, touch wood, it seems to be paying dividends now.

Standing out​

There are other fine dining places near to us, but the fact that we also provide traditional pub food makes us a bit different. We're also adaptable — lunchtime service finishes at 2pm, but if someone wants to eat at 2.30pm and we still have other people dining, we will cater for them.

Service consistency​

My time at Sainsbury's taught me to listen to what the customer wants. They are the whole reason you are there. Procedures are so very important as well. When staff come in, they have a checklist of tasks to carry out. This ensures everything is set up to the same standard, whoever may be working at that time. So if it's Monday lunchtime or Saturday evening, the premises will be clean and tidy, the bar will be stocked, and service will always be the same high standard.

Going online​

Setting up a website was really important to us. People often ring up and say they've been looking at the website, and really like the look of the menu. We are currently averaging about 2,000 hits per month.

One idea that didn't work​

The previous lessees never opened on Sunday evenings, so we thought there was an opportunity there. Unfortunately it didn't take off. It turns out the pub hasn't been open on a Sunday night for years, so I guess it's a very hard thing to change. We are so busy the rest of the week anyway, it's good to have a night off.

Recommended suppliers​

We get our meat from Burton's Butchers www.burtonsbutchers.com and fish from Wyken Provisions (01638 555157). Our fruit and vegetables are supplied by Accént Fresh www.accentfresh.co.uk, cheese comes from Hamish Johnston www.hamishjohnston.com, while Infusions, www.infusions4chefs.co.uk​, provide us with our dried ingredients.

Couldn't live without​

Lescure butter (www.frenchclick.co.uk​). We provide comfort food and it's an ideal butter for frying with. Sergio swears by it.

Bar talk​

We've built up a really strong wine list in our time here, including a house Pinot Grigio, and some nice popular Bordeaux varietals, all the way up to Châteauneuf du Pape. We have upwards of 20 single malt whiskies and a large selection of port, brandy and liqueurs. We are tied to Enterprise on beer and soft drinks, and in addition to the usual standard and premium lagers, we have four real ales, Guinness and Aspall Suffolk Cyder on tap.

Five best ideas​

• Leafleting

We have personally delivered hundreds of leaflets to homes in surrounding areas. It's not the most enjoyable task on a cold rainy night, but pounding the streets has paid off. We get far more people from Newmarket visit us now than ever before.

• Branding

We decided to come up with a pub logo. It's a picture of a golden boar in front of our conservatory with the words 'Golden Boar Inn bar & restaurant'. It's now on our swing sign outside and on all the menus and signage in the pub.

• Set-price menus

In January we started doing two-courses for £22 and three for £25. It was a good way of encouraging customers who were planning to just have a main to go for a starter and/or dessert as well. We don't offer set-price meals so much now but it worked really well.

• Takeaway fish & chips

In 2008, when the economy was nose diving, we started a takeaway fish & chips service as a more affordable alternative to eating in the pub. We have stopped it now, but only because as the restaurant side has grown, it has become harder to cater for both.

• Business cards

I'm quite a sociable person and I'm often out and about in Newmarket. Wherever I go, even if it's to the local cornershop, I always have plenty of business cards with me. If I ever chat to someone new, I won't leave them without giving them my card.

Pub facts​

Licensee: Luke Spyrou

Website: www.goldenboar.co.uk

Wet:dry split: 30:70

GP food/GP drink: 60%/65%

Total covers: 75-80

Average covers per week: 200-300 in an average week

Average spend per head:

£10 bar menu/£25 a la carte (food only)

Menu philosophy​

The a la carte menu is a range of modern European dishes, but it does include straightforward meals such as grills and soup. Everything is fresh and the ingredients are locally sourced. The bar menu is a variety of traditional pub food — pie of the week, sausage & mash, ham, egg & chips, ploughman's, and so on. We refresh our menus every season.

Best new dish​

Pan-fried halibut, celeriac and apple puree, wild mushrooms, mushroom cream, Savoy cabbage, pickled apple (£18.95).

Best-selling dishes​

Starters: Slow-cooked Gloucester old spot pork belly, sage & onion stuffing, pancetta bacon, apple puree, black & white pudding (£6.95); Chicken liver pate, truffle butter, plum jam, onion bread (£7.50); Baked golden cross goat's cheese, Chippenham Park honey, smoked paprika, crushed almonds, fried black olives (£6.95).

Mains: Roast rack of Suffolk lamb, herb crust, confit lamb ribs, potato and Jerusalem artichoke terrine, smoked garlic purée, broccoli, lamb sweetbread, lamb jus (£19.95); Roast Gressingham duck breast, spinach purée, confit duck croquettes, char grilled fennel, fennel oil, fennel jus (£18.95); White onion & Welsh rarebit tart, deep fried hen's egg, red wine and garlic purée (£16.95).

Desserts: Rum baba, coconut ice cream, rum poached raisins, poppy seed shortbread (£7.45); Hot chocolate pudding, kirsch cherries, cherry ice cream (£7.45); Pistachio crème brulée, chocolate ice cream (£6.95).

Two most profitable dishes​

Pan-fried seabass, curly kale, smoked mash potato, brown shrimp, bacon, thyme dressing (£17.95); Roast haunch of venison, venison liver, sauerkraut, beetroot, curried venison chutney, wild rice, swede purée and juniper

sauce (£18.50).