Track and feed: Planning for the Olympics

With people from 203 other countries visiting, it is the perfect time to impress. A total of 900,000 tourists, domestic and overseas, will visit Britain and they will all need feeding and watering.

That’s where pubs come in. Enterprise Inns, Whiting & Hammond and Fuller’s have so far joined up to partner BFF, operating under the banner Love British Food 2012.

Organiser and founder Alexia Robinson says: “Linking the two events is easy as sport and food go hand in hand. What better way to celebrate the Olympics than with patriotic British food promotions?” Tactics TCG (Tattershall Castle Group) is planning to make the most of the opportunity to increase food sales.
Commercial director Nick Francis says: “There will be more of a sense of occasion around the Games this time, because the whole world will be focused on London.

“For pubs, it’s a matter of adapting the tactics that work for football, rugby and regular sporting events to the Games, to tap into that excitement. Posters, chalkboards, email and social media updates can all be used to make sure customers know they can watch the big Olympic events at the pub.”

TCG has upped the number of sharing and hand-held food options in its pubs to boost food sales during TV sports events. Its King’s Feast and Good Honest Food menus include a choice of nachos (cheesy Cajun chicken, Cajun garlic mushroom, and barbecue chicken) as well as a popular wings & rings platter of onion rings and spicy chicken wings, served with barbecue sauce and mayonnaise dips, with an option to double up to share.

“Unlike a football match, Olympic coverage is constant — when one event is over, the TV just switches to the next, so by ensuring menus are displayed and promoting food, there’s an opportunity to persuade customers to stay longer,” says Francis. Patriotism BFF partner Whiting & Hammond is another company that throws itself into the patriotic celebration each year.

“We are massively into British food anyway,” says co-founder Brian Whiting. “The fortnight is a chance to tell the world what we are doing — it fits us like a glove fits a hand.

“We promote on our websites but don’t do any offers. We’ll do traditional British dishes from the ’40s and ’50s because I think when people think of traditional dishes they go back to that time. Last year we did lamb’s heart and faggots, both incredibly popular, and will look to do similar dishes again this year.

“We normally get an extra 15% in trade, but this year I think it might be less as it could be overshadowed by the Olympics. That will dominate the London scene, but might not affect us so much in the country.”

Plans at the seven Whiting & Hammond pubs are yet to be finalised, but will include a beer festival, traditional dishes and plenty of patriotism. Visit www.lovebritishfood.co.uk​ for recipe ideas and to find out what will be in season during the BFF and Olympics period.

The atmosphere Those unlucky in the race for tickets will look for somewhere to watch the Olympics with a good atmosphere, and pubs are an obvious choice. Graeme Davidson, of Epson UK, believes having the right AV technology in place is vital and it will benefit pubs for years to come. With so many high-profile televised events this year — the Diamond Jubilee, football’s Euro 2012 and the Olympics to name a few — even pubs that would not normally house a screen should consider installing one for the Games.

“Projectors with screens offer enormous images that are ideal when large numbers of people are watching the same event, unlike the fixed sizes you get with plasma TVs,” says Davidson.

The most important aspect of any successful event is the marketing. Banners and chalkboards outside venues let people know what is on. Maximising footfall There are mixed feelings about this year’s events and whether people will avoid or enjoy them.

Louise Routledge, head of marketing UK for Livebookings and Bookatable.com, says pubs should become a centre for celebration and even if the fortnight is not a money-spinner, it is likely to improve repeat business. Routledge suggests everything from barbecues and real-ale tasting sessions to British themed quiz nights and music and comedy nights to keep people in the pub.
It is also essential to cash in on the rise of the smartphone by being listed on location-based mobile booking apps. Young’s pub the Ship in Wandsworth, south-west London, has optimised its online reservations platform for all smartphones. Having a good presence online means the 70% of people who search for restaurants online have a good chance of stumbling across your pub.

“Use the summer boom to prepare for a winter lull by capturing customer data,” advises Routledge. Alexia Robinson adds: “There are lots of imaginative ways to get involved.”

She suggests: a Love British Food 2012 opening ceremony menu; offering two-for-one deals to customers wearing red, white and blue; running a Love British Food specials board during the Olympics with the best British seasonal produce; or inviting producers to serve the food or give a British barbecue masterclass.

Robinson does, however, issue a note of caution.

“With the rules governing the use of the Games for marketing gain being the most stringent ever, it is a minefield for pubs,” she warns.

Holly Bush Inn, Salt, Staffordshire​

Geoff Holland, licensee of this Admiral lease, always gets heavily involved in British Food Fortnight (BFF) and attracts at least 15% more trade by doing so, despite running a busy pub already.

The Holly Bush Inn has just become only the second independent to be Red Tractor certified and, for this year’s BFF, Holland wants to maximise the opportunities that come from that.

“We want to do something a little bit different this year,” he says. “So we are doing BFF as always and tying it in with the local butcher, who is also going for Red Tractor certification. It will be a local BFF.

“While we have British dishes on our menu anyway and have championed it during the fortnight before, this year we will be doing just regional dishes.

“We are surrounded by some fantastic areas — Shropshire, Herefordshire and Staffordshire — and want to showcase what we do here. It will focus on meats sourced within five miles to show off our certification and that we champion our local suppliers.”

The pub will also hold a two-day beer festival with 28 ales and two ciders on offer using its own marquee and equipment.

“I am expecting extra footfall this year,” he says. “We are pulling out all the stops and really going for it due to its pairing with the Olympics and I hope to increase trade by 20% to 25%.”

“But Love British Food 2012 gives pubs a safe platform for tapping into the patriotic celebrations.”