Music-ale wares

Garry Hewitt, co-owner of the Quakerhouse, Darlington, Co Durham, talks to Tony Halstead about making a successful pub business out of cask ale and rock music, the two loves of his life

How we got here​

We arrived in February 2009 rescuing the pub from virtual closure after the previous

tenants threw in the towel.

To start with we were tenants of Scottish & Newcastle (S&N), which had originally bought it from the Tadcaster Pub Company.

We ran it pretty much without interference and when S&N put it up for sale, myself and business partner Brian Dourish, as sitting tenants, were given first option to buy. We became freehold owners in October 2009. We raised the money by attracting other investors, using our own cash and getting a mortgage.

The pub​

The Quakerhouse is a Grade II-listed building dating from the late 1700s and was originally three cottages located in a yard just off the town centre, which was active with tradesmen such as coopers and blacksmiths.

It first became licensed in 1998. Although it is very near the central hub of Darlington, it is not on the town-centre circuit and has always prospered by doing its own thing and has enjoyed a good reputation as a cask-ale house for some years.

Our game plan​

Cask ale and rock music are the two loves of my life and it was pre-ordained that this combination would become focal to the business. We did not have to do much in the way of refurbishment, but, in any case, the listed status of the building meant we could do little in terms of knocking the place around.

What changes we have made to the pub include improvements to the toilets and opening up a first-floor room, which now functions as an acoustic venue so there is an

alternative to the mainstream live bands that operate below.

We wanted the Quakerhouse to get a reputation as a premier real-ale rock pub and two years later I think we have achieved that.

In fact, since we bought the Quakerhouse, trade has improved by about £500 per week on average and we believe a lot of that is down to the extra business our live music has brought in.

How we do live music​

There are three different strands to what we do here.

The highlight is the weekly live rock night on Wednesdays, which is nearly always a full house.

We occasionally venture down other musical avenues, but classic rock definitely rules. Bands operate from one end of the ground floor, which ensures there is a fantastic atmosphere.

Planning is all important, so we sketch out the programme well in advance so people know in plenty of time which band is playing on which date. We now have Wednesday

bookings right up to the end of the year. We charge a £4 entry fee after 7.30pm and work on a minimum of 50 ticket sales to cover the £200 we pay the bands.

In the first week of each month we stage an open-mic night, which features a resident band that is on hand to help out volunteer artists or provide them with instruments and a PA system if they want it.

The third musical strand is upstairs where we have converted a function room to set up an acoustic music operation.

Here we get single and double acts encompassing blues, indie singer-songwriters, folk groups etc. These take place on a Monday to help boost a traditionally quiet night for pubs and have become very popular indeed.

We organise everything ourselves relying on a network of contacts we have built up over the years.

Our next plan is to introduce live streaming of bands via a webcam so people who cannot get to the pub can watch. Perhaps we might record some for posterity.

You never know, the Quakerhouse might just be set to send a young aspiring band on the journey to stardom!

Marketing & advertising​

We do all the bookings, publicity work and marketing ourselves and do not

use any outside agencies.

This way we can be sure of getting the right quality bands that people want to hear.

We promote forthcoming attractions on posters in the pub itself and use a variety of regional magazines and websites such as Riffs Online.

We also find What's On In Darlington invaluable in flagging up what's happening at the Quakerhouse each month. Generally, however, we find word of mouth the most effective form of advertising.

The regional music grapevine can usually be relied on to keep people informed about what's going on. Our own website also has full listings of our events and our beers.

Our beer​

As well as music, cask ale is central to the business. We are a 100% wet pub and do not serve any food, except crisps and other packaged snacks.

There are nine real-ale pumps on the bar, which are active at all times. We source beers from all over the north of England and sell more than 200 gallons per week. We served 694 new ales last year and this year we have already hit 300, so we are hoping to overtake the 2010 figure.

Although many of our customers are seasoned real-ale drinkers we try to give people as much information as possible about the beers we sell.

We have a colour-coded chart

at the back of the bar that lists the beers according to their characteristics and also offer taster samples to people who are unsure about what to order.

Our staff have been with us a long time and can be relied on to know everything about the beers on sale.

The pub has won an array of Campaign for Real Ale awards and has been Darlington Pub of the Year an incredible seven times, also winning a bronze award in the regional pub of the year contest.

TOP IDEAS, REACHING THE MASSES AND HANDLING THE NEIGHBOURS​

Best pub​

A couple spring to mind. The Station at Whitby, North Yorkshire, and the Victoria in Durham are both pubs that run a similar style of business to ours. We enjoy visiting them to see how they are performing and to see any new ideas they are employing.

Best idea so far ​

Converting a rarely-used function room into a new acoustic studio lounge. It's proved a big success in boosting trade on quiet Monday nights. It's also given us another string to our bow, music wise.

For the future​

We are toying with the idea of revitalising the outside of the pub, if we can get a pavement licence and obtain the support of our business neighbours. At the moment customers are not allowed to take glasses out of the pub.

Marketing tips​

We are a niche operator in terms of drinks and entertainment. It's important that we profile ourselves through the appropriate channels that reach the customer profile we want to attract.

Neighbours & noise​

We end the music at 11.30pm on the dot, which I think is a reasonable time. We are very near the town centre, so there are not that many residential houses nearby anyway. We have never had an issue with noise or problems with neighbours.

Facts 'n' stats​

Address: The Quakerhouse, Mechanics Yard, Darlington.

Status: Freehouse

Owners: Garry Hewitt and Brian Dourish

Wet GP: 55%-60%

Staff: Four part-time; one full-time

Average ale price: £2.75 a pint

Best-selling ale: Ales from the Jarrow Brewery

Average weekly take: £5,200