The Chelsea pub will offer a £9 portion of Maris Piper roast potatoes with unlimited top-ups every Sunday from 1 to 29 November.
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The offer must be ordered alongside a main course, with a maximum of four guests able to share one bottomless portion.
Head chef Tom De Keyser said Sunday lunch was “massively important” to the pub commercially, particularly as consumers eat out less often and spend more carefully.
He told the Morning Advertiser (MA): “As a British pub first and foremost, Sunday lunch is massively important to get right. We offer a quality and wide variety of roasts, with each their own individually stuffed Yorkshire pudding, and we have managed to build quite the reputation for our Sunday offering over the last year.”
Bookings boost
De Keyser said Sunday bookings had increased “massively” as the weather had turned colder.
He added: “As August, notoriously quiet in London, draws to a close, our Sundays are the first day of the week to fill up with bookings. Particularly being London based, the focus moves on from outside food markets to cosy, inside comfort food.”
The Chalk Freehouse’s Sunday roasts include 30-day dry-aged ribeye of beef, half Devonshire White chicken, Blythburgh pork loin chop and a seasonal vegetable and braised Portobello mushroom ragu.
De Keyser said the bottomless potato offer was designed to be “a bit of fun” as well as a trade driver.
He said: “It’s a bit of fun as well as a talking point and will certainly boost trade. The best part of a roast is always a debate but no matter what, the roast potato is undoubtedly imperative.”
Seasonal hook
Asked whether the offer was designed to drive bookings, increase spend, encourage longer dwell time or create a social media talking point, De Keyser said: “A bit of everything really and a bit of fun, we always cook loads and they are delicious, so why not make them bottomless?”
He said the offer worked operationally because the pub already cooked a large volume of roast potatoes, adding: “Surely there’s only so many roasties people can eat. We are also confident our roasts are generous as it is a portion, but we are sure there will be someone who will test the bottomless boundaries.”
De Keyser said guests were “most definitely” becoming more value-conscious, and that generous add-ons could help.
He added that bottomless roast potatoes could become a regular feature if the November trial performed well.
On seasonal offers more broadly, De Keyser said: “Having something new to talk about is always a good move to drive business.
“We are always looking to refine and shout about what we do. However, this doesn’t mean we deviate from our DNA.”
Kerridge told the MA: “Potatoes are everyone’s favourite for a Sunday lunch. We don’t really look when we cook them as portion specific. The team just cook a load. So, if you want a couple of extra spuds, it is no problem at all.”
