Top 10 Tips: Catering for groups
1. Constructive connections
WarwickWorks! is a monthly breakfast networking session hosted by Peach’s Rose & Crown in Warwick. Each event features a different speaker and topic, such as learning about social media or acquiring new skills, combined with a hearty English breakfast, with tea and coffee on tap, for £15. “It’s a great way to encourage 30 local entrepreneurs to network while letting them know about our food and drink, private dining and rooms,” comments the company’s managing partner Jeremy Kynaston.
2. Summer on a stick
A Midsummer Ball at “Lord” Trevor Davis’s freehold the Copt Hill in County Durham (£20 per head) attracts up to 90 guests, dressed to impress in tuxedos and ball-gowns. Barbecued seafood, meat and vegetarian options on sticks are served on platters; offerings for carnivores include llama and zebra, plus mini sausages and black pudding. Seating is informal, a local crooner provides entertainment, and a hired limousine, red carpet and Chinese lanterns add to the sense of occasion.
3. Beating the blues
Up to 30 blues musicians enjoy a free meal after a jam at Lancaster’s Robert Gillow, where jazz attracts about 100 punters between midday and midnight on Sundays. Hyde’s leaseholder Anthony Mark Cutter says it sustains his GP. At the Swan with Two Necks, in Longdon, in Staffordshire, Punch licensee Anne Walters runs an open-mic competition, with a meal for two as a prize.
4. Hampers on the Heath
In London’s Highgate, freehold the Bull & Last pampers guests attending open-air concerts at nearby Kenwood House or picnicking on Hampstead Heath by supplying gourmet hampers. The basic hamper serves two people and costs £35, with optional extras from £3.50 to £8. Manager Adam Docherty says: “Our hampers suit a wide variety of customers and events, from special romantic occasions for two, to bulk buys for corporate hospitality. Just add sunshine and you’ve got a delicious day of fun at your disposal.”
5. Fun and games
Speciality pies served during live football coverage encourage footfall at Enterprise Inns’ refurbished George Payne in Hove, East Sussex. Tenant Zoë Rodgers boosts trade with themed food and fun: “On reopening we advertised our pies for the FA Cup Final the following day; on the Jubilee weekend we sold fish & chips at 1950s prices and ran a trifle-eating competition. It all helps to establish us as an accessible pub that brings locals together.”
6. Boat race, booze & BBQ
In south-west London, Geronimo’s Half Moon pub in Putney screened the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race alongside a hog roast and barbecue, gin fizz and Champagne bar, and free afternoon garden party with DJs and fancy-dress prizes. At Brixton’s award-winning Hootananny, owned by Enterprise Inns, El Panzon food franchisee Grant Winters cooks up Mexican treats such as Chimichanga, a deep-fried burrito (£9.50), for high-energy events including a new Latin music night. His weekend late-night garden taco bar from 10.30pm to 3am is a big hit.
7. Welcome break
Offering free hot dogs at half-time for England rugby matches during the Six Nations tournament is just one of a myriad of food and event-matching ideas at Suffolk’s Pinkuah Arms. Co-owner Mike Gale explains: “When the cricket’s on, we serve afternoon tea to coincide with the cricketers’ tea. Our weekly Pie & Pint night draws around 30 customers; Ladies who Lunch enjoy a four-course dinner four times a year, and a Gentlemen’s Luncheon Club is also well established.”
8. Snack and tell
Individual Inns’ Eventful Lunches and Suppers ensure regular use of its pubs’ function rooms without detracting from normal dining trade. Organiser Brenda McLoughlin’s events attract 50-90 guests and include Christine Hamilton’s “Confessions of a Battleaxe”. “We charge £15.99 or £16.99 for a two-course meal. I negotiate hard with speakers but if the fee is high and the person is very popular we charge £24.99.
9. Pizza cake
At freehold the Jolly Sailors in Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk, children make their own pizzas as a birthday party treat. Manager Heather Tidd says: “Our younger customers always enjoy our activity playground. Add to this a novel birthday party celebration and you’ve hit gold. Our chef chops ingredients and rolls out the dough, and the kids create pizzas with sauce and toppings. For £7 each we provide aprons, ingredients, ice-cream and squash for 10 to 15 kids — plus candles on the birthday pizza.”
10. Location, location
Young’s managed pub the Dog & Fox in Wimbledon makes the most of its tennis connection: 3,700 burgers, 300kg of strawberries, 25,000 pints and 9,500 glasses of sparkling wine are said to have satisfied 50,000 customers during last year’s tournament. But the pub’s success doesn’t end there — monthly barbies include frozen Pimm’s, while a banqueting table ensures that special-occasion dining can be booked with ease.
