Money Makers: Ideas for driving food and drink sales at your pub

Photography exhibition​

Freehold:The Old Coastguard, Mousehole, Penzance, Cornwall

The idea: Three month photography exhibition of the work of the RNLI.

How it works: The photographs, by photographer and RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew member Nigel Millard, formed part of a free-to-view, national touring exhibition, The Lifeboat: Courage on our Coasts. Photographs were available for sale, together with a book of the same name, written by Dr. Huw Lewis-Jones, with a proportion of sale proceeds going to the RNLI. The exhibition coincided with the anniversary of the local Penlee lifeboat disaster.

Marketing:The exhibition was promoted via social media, local and national newspapers and through the pub’s own marketing materials such as posters and flyers. An e-flyer was sent out to the pub’s database and the exhibition was also advertised on the RNLI’s website.

Be prepared: The pub had installed picture lights and hooks for a previous exhibition. An invitation-only preview was also held.

Pay-off: Increased footfall. The prints transformed the pub walls providing it with a new, temporary image.

Key benefits: Demonstrates the pub’s support for the local community. Funds raised through photo and book sales will hopefully go towards the renovation of Penlee lifeboat station.

Advice: Development manager for parent company Eat Drink Sleep Ltd, Eavan Armstrong, says: "Drawing a map of the space allows you to work out which picture is going where, making the hanging process far more straight-forward."

Murder mystery evening​

Freehold:Gloucester Old Spot, Tewkesbury Road,Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

The idea: Murder mystery event plus two course meal in the pub’s dining room.

How it works: Using a bespoke murder mystery company, Smoke and Mirrors from Oxford, guests participated in a murder mystery plot written specifically for the pub. Tickets were £35 per person.

Marketing: The event was advertised on the pub’s social media sites as well as via Smoke and Mirrors’own promotional activity.

Be prepared: Utilising the pub’s name, the plot for the evening involved a pig farmer. Table names were themed to rare breed pigs and rare breed pork was served. Guests were seated in groups of ten with a character at each table. The dining room was laid up with a log fire and dimmed lights to add to the atmosphere of the event.

Pay-off: The evening lent itself to the character of the building and the pub’s baronial dining room. It offered customers an interactive, social event that was different from the pub’s regular offering.

Key benefits: The evening brought in murder mystery fans from outside the area, hopefully driving repeat custom. In addition to ticket sales, drinks trade was up with a large number of wine sales by the bottle, due to the dining room location of the event.

Advice: Manager Hayley Cribb says: "Using a bespoke murder mystery company meant minimum disruption as the plot made use of the pub as it is."