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

Salted Caramel Chocolate truffles ​

Where: Hall & Woodhouse leasehold the Crabtree, Brighton Road, Lower Beeding, West Sussex

Website: www.crabtreesussex.co.uk​

Twitter: @TheCrabtree

The idea: Salt caramel truffles, originally served as petits fours on the pub’s dessert list, sold in boxes as gifts.

How it works: Boxes of 12 truffles were sold for £7.25 per box or added, free of charge, to pub gift voucher purchases, of more than £50, bought before Mothers’ Day.

Marketing: The truffles were promoted via Facebook, Twitter and e-newsletters to the pub’s database as well as inside and outside the pub. Although the truffles are sold year-round, promotion is increased at key times such as the lead-up to Mother's Day or Valentine’s.

Be prepared: The truffles are made using locally sourced chocolate and cream. A display on the bar helps to drive sales, while storing the treats in the wine fridge on the pub floor allows easy access for staff for impromptu customer purchases.

Pay-off: Adds to the pub’s ethos of offering good, fresh food which is all prepared daily on site. Allows customers to continue to enjoy the Crabtree’s offering at home.

Key benefits: Provides an additional revenue stream as well as acting as a marketing tool for the pub’s food offering.

Advice: Manager Hamish Adamson-Hope says: “Keep it simple, advertise clearly and make the offering high quality and affordable.”

Doggie treats menu​

Where: Whiting & Hammond site Stanmer House, Stanmer Park, Brighton, East Sussex

Website: www.stanmerhouse.co.uk​

The idea: A menu designed specifically for dogs.

How it works: The menu, which changes from time to time, currently includes chargeable items such as doggie sausage rolls and pigs’ ears. 

Marketing: Promotion has been via the pub’s Twitter and Facebook sites as well as in-house. Word of mouth, among the many local dog-walkers, has also played an important role in the menu’s promotion.

Be prepared: The sausage rolls are made in-house while the pigs’ ears are marinated and cooked on-site. Water bowls are available throughout the pub and carpets for dogs to lie on can be provided on request.

Pay-off: The freehold pub’s location, at the heart of a nature reserve, makes it a magnet for walkers and their dog. Extends customer dwell time.

Key benefits: Provides an additional revenue stream while responding to the needs of the pub’s customers. 

Advice: Deputy manager of the Whiting & Hammond site, Bruce Simmons, says: “This may be an unusual concept to some but, if you know that you get a lot of people through the door who would be interested in what you’re offering, then be bold and go for it.”