Something for everyone at the Farm Tavern
Chef Zoë Rodgers tells Sheila McWattie about making sure vegetarian and vegan food share star billing at Sussex's Farm Tavern.
How we got here
I started cooking the Sunday roasts at the Farm Tavern in Hove soon after John Inch and Garf Maggs took it over early last year on a lease from Greene King, the brewery of John's other successful Brighton pub, the Sussex Yeoman.
The Farm is a small cosy pub in a narrow street just off the main road between Brighton and Hove. Passing trade is limited, but word of mouth helps establish a strong community base. I've worked in the hospitality industry for 16 years, taking on
many roles from pot-washer to fine-dining waitress, bar person, manager and chef.
Working in the trade has taken me to some weird and wonderful places, and I'm now launching my own catering company, Salt of the Earth Catering, with a business partner. We're planning to take proper home-cooked British food to the festivals — very exciting.
How we achieved business growth
Our priority is to make the locals feel at home, so we freshened up the Farm by painting it and installing new seating. At the moment we serve food only on Sundays and our trade is based on consistency: meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans know that turning up at any time between midday and 7pm means they will be able to order a reasonably priced, good quality, sizeable portion of fresh home-cooked food in a friendly,
welcoming atmosphere. We also cater for customers' dairy and gluten-free requirements. Sunday food and drink sales have really taken off and we're averaging 100 covers.
Best piece of advice we've been given
Every penny counts. If you save £10 a week, that's £520 a year — enough for a good week's holiday.
Business philosophy
To produce food in a home-cooked style that caters for everyone, using top-quality fresh-food suppliers.
Standing out from the competition
Offering choice means no-one feels left out. As a vegetarian, there's nothing worse than arriving with a group of friends and finding there's only one option. We're not fans of over- branding, preferring to be more subtle and letting customers decide what they want, then delivering it at a good standard. Good-quality live music also helps us to maintain a local following.
Recommended business-related websites
I've snapped up some bargains at www.nisbetsclearance.co.uk, and www.bbcgoodfood.com is great if you are after a quick recipe. It also helps to know the weather forecast as it can affect the pub's footfall, so I visit www.metcheck.com for all the information I need.
Bar talk
Real ale is a key product here and is kept with a passion. Our best-sellers include Olde Trip and the best-selling lager is Budvar. We also offer a choice of at least three red wines, three white and one rosé. Wine sales are increasing and all bottles cost £12 each.
Five best ideas
• Menu boards on both floors - Concise information boosts sales.
• Vegan choices and gluten and dairy-free-gravy — The dairy and egg-free Yorkshire pudding with vegan meals goes down very well.
Gluten-free gravy is also very popular.
• Showing big sporting events — We're not a sports pub but locals enjoy watching big events.
• Takeaway roasts — We offer a takeaway container for customers who want to eat their roast on the beach. Sometimes the locals bring their own plates.
• Free function-room hire — Increases our wet sales.
Pub facts
Licensees: Garf Maggs & John Inch
Tel: 01273 779886
Tenure: Greene King lease
Wet turnover: £4,000 per week
Food turnover: £1,000 per week
Wet:dry split: 60:40 on Sundays
Wages percentage of turnover: 15%
GP food/drink: 65%/51%
Total covers available: 65
Average covers on Sunday: 100
Average spend per head: £12
Facebook: Farmtavern Hove
Menu philosophy
Our roasts are offered on the same menu every Sunday. Why change what works? We get loads of repeat custom — there's a comfort factor in knowing what you're getting. Pudding is a big deal here — we all love them and I vary our choices every week.
One or two people ordering pudding often means another round of drinks at the bar. Our elaborate ice-cream sundaes have the wow factor, attracting more orders. I get to play around with ideas and they're always appreciated by those with a sweet tooth — including staff.
We offer five desserts with gluten-free and vegan options.
Our Sunday menu features: topside of beef (£8.95); South Downs leg of lamb; pork shoulder; free-range stuffed chicken breast; carrot & cashew nut roast (£8.45) and lentil, cheese & mushroom bake.
All roasts come with five vegetables (cauliflower cheese, braised red cabbage, broccoli, roasted carrots & mashed swede), plus roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pud, parsnip crisps and lashings of gravy.
Carrot & cashew nut loaf is a big vegetarian winner. The highest GP comes from veggie bakes — veg, nuts and pulses are economical in terms of money and time.
A typical dessert board (£4.25 each) includes: tropical fruit steamed sponge pudding; boozy tiramisu brownie & strawberry sundae; chocolate fruit & nut bread & butter pudding; gluten-free brownie or vegan apple & rhubarb crumble, both with dairy-free custard or Freedom frozen ice cream.
In the know
• Service secrets — Have fun and enjoy your work while being professional at all times. Make sure staff greet customers on arrival and try to catch their eye to say goodbye. Personal attention makes people feel welcome and want to return, and picking friendly staff who like the interaction a pub environment brings is crucial. If they're willing to learn then it's easy to train them to your standards.
• One idea that didn't work — Thinking England would do well in the World Cup! We had a World Cup burger menu but, when England's hopes died, so did that burger menu…
•Credit check — Every few months we check suppliers' prices to make sure they are competitive. It's always good to keep them on their toes and make sure you're getting the best prices.
• Successful marketing & PR ideas — I've worked in the local pub trade for years and word of mouth is powerful. Customers know I'd never put a plate of food in front of them that I wasn't 100% happy with. We're on Facebook and I also work at another local business, so that helps. As the Farm is in a quiet street, I put an A-board at the bottom of the road on Sundays to bring people up the hill.
• Staff motivation — A happy, professional working team is crucial to our success. We all work together and are self-motivated, pulling our weight to keep this pub moving. If the people in charge are happy and totally motivated, it filters down to staff. All pub staff eat free on Sunday: it works very well as they know what's being served and can recommend dishes they like — and they've all earned it as we're so busy.
• Couldn't live without… — My Nisbets meat slicer, bought on its clearance site for £120 — brilliant for portion control and speed.
