Big ideas for pub trading

Pubs are under increasing pressure to come up with plans to boost business in a tough environment. Tony Halstead asks a range of licensees to name their best ideas and describe impact on trade.

Two pints and a novel, please — London Inn, Horrabridge, Devon​

A new book-swap and library service at the London Inn has helped put the Devon village pub at the centre of the local community. Licensee Heidi Lenderyou hit upon the idea last year after taking over the Punch pub in November 2009.

"When we realised the nearest library was more than seven miles away and no mobile library visited the village we decided to fill the void with our own book service," Lenderyou recalls.

The library was established using Lenderyou's own books and cost just £100 to set up, which mostly went on shelving. It has now grown to a 500-strong book selection, with donations from users, and is geared to raise money for local organisations. Customers pay 50p to buy a book and 20p to swap one. So far £300 has been raised for Horrabridge Primary School.

The idea has seen a significant increase in trade for the pub, with many library visitors also taking time out to enjoy a drink or snack.

The library's stock of local reference books has proved popular, particularly with people staying at nearby caravan parks and campsites keen to discover local tourist attractions.

Lenderyou says that an increase in women visitors has been particularly significant and has helped give the pub a new lease of life.

"It has really given the pub a buzz and we are delighted at how successful it has been," she adds.

Free-meals fillip — Rose & Crown, East Grinstead, West Sussex​

A free-meals promotion launched by licensees Chris and Christine Pollard at the Rose & Crown last summer was so successful that it has now become a permanent feature at the pub.

Diners are offered a choice of two daily specials free of charge as long as they spend £3 or more on drinks in one purchase. Typical choices include sweet & sour chicken and liver & onions. The deal runs each weekday at lunchtime and in the early evenings — and was a big hit as soon as it started.

"Within weeks of the launch the number of covers soared from an average 150 per week to well over 450," explains Chris. "The increase in wet turnover has more than compensated for the cost of the meals and has also attracted customers who pay return visits and eat from the normal menu."

All of the food is home-made in advance and then served hot from warming drawers, which means big savings on staff overheads and electricity. "And we do not need a chef anymore," Chris adds.

The two specials change every day, with the choice based on a rolling rota of different meals over a six-week period.

The new speedy-meals format has proved particularly popular with time-conscious businessmen and office staff. Chris says: "It's the best idea I have ever had."

Trot topic — Saddle Inn, Lea Town, Lancs​

Equestrianism has been a way of life in the rural environment of Lea Town, Preston, for generations. Yet it was only recently that the pub at the centre of it all began to capitalise on the trade that horses and their riders can generate.

Licensee Graham Rowson, who took over the Thwaites tenancy in February 2010, has created a dedicated 'horse park' at the pub, which offers a safe haven for local riders and their horses.

It cost £1,000 to set up, all of which was funded by Graham and partner Angela, who wanted to make use of the huge expanse of land adjoining the Saddle, owned by local brewer Daniel Thwaites.

Graham says: "There are a lot of stables around here and and we get loads of riders passing the pub.

"So we decided to tap into what we thought would be some valuable extra trade by laying down the welcome mat to riders and horses."

The riders can now tether their horses in a dedicated pen where water, oats and carrots are provided by Graham and his team.

"Riders can enjoy a drink or snack in the pub safe in the knowledge that their horses are safe and contented. It adds at least an extra £50 to our take each week," he says.

On New Year's Day the pub played host to a mini-gymkhana to further cement the good relations it has built up with the local equestrian set.

Many more activities are planned at the pub to make the best use of the huge car park and land.

Life's a beach... party — The Taps, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire​

The award-winning Taps has been staging special events and parties on bank holiday Sundays for several years.

But it was only last August that licensee Ian Rigg and his team finally put the final piece of their party jigsaw in place with a Hawaiian beach party.

This was no ordinary event, however. The floor of the town-centre pub was covered in four tonnes of sand, excavated by Ian and regular customers from the nearby beach.

Party revellers wore fancy dress, special drinks were served and a DJ provided a rare musical interlude at a pub where jukeboxes and discos are normally banned.

Rigg says: "The sand really made the party. One of our regulars owns a tractor so it was relatively easy to transport it from the beach to the pub.Luckily, we have a wooden floor in the Taps so there was no real mess at the end of it all."

Event costs were minimal but the financial rewards were immense.

Rigg adds: "We normally take around £2,500 on a Sunday but the beach party saw us collect as much as £7,800 so it was well worth the effort."

Beach parties are not the only zany attraction staged at the Greene King managed house.

Each time the open championship or other major tournament is staged at the nearby Royal Lytham & St Annes golf course, the inside of the Taps is invariably decked out with real grass.

Rigg explains: "It might sound a bit over the top but customers really appreciate the effort we put in to create the right atmosphere."

Fry achievers — The Bull, Shocklach, Cheshire​

A Friday night take-away fish and chips service is giving the Bull a boost in food trade, and upping beer sales into the bargain.

The takeaways were launched 12 months ago by licensees Jon and Lindsay Cox and have quickly become an established part of the Bull's business.

Jon explains: "The nearest chippie is about eight miles away so we figured there would be a definite demand from villagers. We run the take-away service between 5pm and 8pm on Fridays only and we currently average 30 covers.

"Most people come to enjoy a few pints and then order fish and chips along with their last drink, which means bar sales have been boosted at the same time."

The pub charges £6.50 a portion, with half-price for children, against an in-house menu price of £11 for the same dish, which Jon believes offers tremendous value.

"There is little in the way of extra costs in this because we have the raw materials in stock and the kitchen is already running to service the normal food trade.

"The only real cost to us has been in packaging for the takeaways so the overheads are minimal.

I am a firm believer in trying to maximise every hour of the trading day.

We have also launched a weekly coffee morning for parents of the local school."

Jon adds: "We are getting about 20 mums a week in the pub at a time when we would be more or less empty."

Super (business) model — The Swan, Wolverhampton​

Licensees Bal Kular and Roop Bening believe in making the most of big calendar events such as Valentine's Day.

The couple were not simply content to run a romantic themed evening on the big day and instead opted to run a series of modelling competition nights leading up to 14 February this year.

The competition kicked off in January when the first of a series of auditions took place involving seven local couples, leading up to the grand final.

The pub teamed up with a local modelling agency, which offered the winning couple a professional modelling portfolio. The earlier rounds attracted packed audiences at the pub — and