FEATURE: The smart pubs that are diversifying to bolster profits

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Start small and build your pub’s food offer

Introducing or expanding a food offering can be a practical starting point for traditionally wet-led pubs, says Joshua Bruce, key account manager for pubs, Merrychef, a Welbilt company.

A focused menu of hot snacks, toasted sandwiches, pies and sharing dishes can complement drinks-led occasions, encourage additional spend and create opportunities to attract customers throughout the day.

The challenge is doing this without adding significant operational complexity. Limited kitchen space, staffing pressures and unpredictable footfall can make investment in a traditional commercial kitchen difficult to justify. Operators should consider how equipment can support a varied menu while keeping preparation, service and waste manageable.

Compact high speed ovens, such as the Merrychef conneX®12e, can help pubs introduce hot food within their existing space. Cooking suitable products from frozen helps teams prepare orders as needed, while pre-programmed cooking profiles support consistent results across different staff members.

Operators should also consider how their menu can work across different dayparts and customer occasions. Breakfast rolls and toasted sandwiches could attract morning and lunchtime customers, while pizzas, loaded nachos and sharing platters can complement evening drinks, sporting events and group gatherings. Building several dishes around shared ingredients can help create variety without complicating stock management.

Successful diversification means identifying opportunities that complement the existing business and can be delivered consistently. Start with a manageable menu, train the team and respond to demand, creating room to grow without losing the character that customers value in their local pub.

For more details about how MerryChef can help your pub ir bar, click here.

They often pioneer new initiatives to drive the operation, from introducing new entertainment and immersive experiences to expanding food offers and supporting local communities.

Publicans and their pubs continue to evolve to meet changing customer expectations and stay on the front foot.

Here, The Morning Advertiser looks at how some publicans across the UK are transforming their pubs to attract new customers and generate additional revenue.

Making a theatre for the community

Winning the Best Entertainment Pub category in the Great British Pub Awards 2026, the Black Swan Pub & Theatre in North Walsham, Norfolk, has put entertainment at the heart of its business.

The pub boasts a separate function building that has been transformed into a working theatre and events space.

When licensee Joseph Ballard took over, the pub did not have a great reputation with many people actively avoiding that area of the town.

However, by introducing a diverse entertainment offer, including theatre productions, pantomimes and cinema screenings, the venue has become a safe and popular destination for all ages. The success has even seen a knock-on impact on the pubs’ other calendar of events.

Ballard says: “We have even ended up moving our regular pub quiz and bingo into the theatre because we needed a bigger venue.”

The theatre has become an essential part of the business, with customers using the pub before and after performances for food and drinks, as well as visiting the site’s dedicated pizza takeaway.

“What we have done is create ourselves as a destination for a full night out. When people come in, they know they can get something to eat, something to drink, be entertained, and then grab a drink or a coffee afterwards,” he says.

Ballard believes a varied programme is crucial to attracting different audiences while encouraging repeat visits from existing customers.

“If we put on a cheesy cabaret show, which is billed as a big night out, we might get lots of ladies and groups of ladies booking in for drinks, having a night out,” he says.

“When we programme a play from the National Theatre, we will get people coming from the rural parts of Norfolk. They will drive for up to an hour to come to visit us. These are people who live in the surrounding villages and the smaller towns in rural Norfolk but they’re people who have got a bit more disposable income to spend.”

He says the demographic often changes depending on the event and impacts on the people visiting the pub. But what is essential is to ensure the drinks and food on offer are accessible to all customers.

Despite the theatre’s success, Ballard ensures regular customers remain at the heart of the business and are included in many decisions.

“With some of our regulars, particularly those who are older we have afternoon bingo quizzes and activities,” says Ballard.

“We also programme matinee shows and afternoon film screenings. That way no one feels left out because, particularly in the winter, some older people may not feel comfortable coming out at night.”

He adds: “What makes us really special is that, as a community pub, we involve everyone in the ideas and the programming of what we’re doing.”

While the pub has a great reputation for its Sunday lunches and event catering, the pizza brand – in an annex of the theatre – is also proving to be popular.

“Offering the food is important because people do book tables and treat it like a restaurant with tables before and after the show,” he says.

But the theatre is not the only innovation for Ballard.

A former hotel room has also been transformed into a wellbeing and therapy space with its own entrance, providing an additional service for local residents.

Chef residencies and more

The Victoria Inn in Oxshott, Surrey, is a three-AA Rosette pub well-known for its premium food and drink offer.

Alongside its high-end dining experience, the venue also operates as a traditional pub with a separate saloon where customers can pop in have a pint, and a snack such as a Scotch egg or a sausage roll.

Balancing premium dining with accessibility is central to the pub’s approach but like many pub businesses, it is also looking for new ways to drive new revenue.

Owner Russell Taylor says: “One of the things that’s becoming more apparent within the hospitality industry is the need to diversify income from your standard offerings. We do very well as a restaurant, we do very well as a pub, offering all of the basic services. We have some great bar snacks, great ales and great house wines in the pub area, and then we have a really lovely three-AA Rosette British pub seasonal rotating menu.”

One initiative helping to attract new customers and generate additional income is a four-month residency with acclaimed chef Mark Sargeant, who spent 13 years working alongside Gordon Ramsay and led the Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s.

The partnership is also designed to strengthen the pub’s core food offer as Sargeant is working alongside head chef Daniel Lee and the existing kitchen team, with selected dishes and ideas from the residency filtering onto the Victoria’s ongoing à la carte menus.

Rather than staging a single guest-chef evening, the Victoria Inn has developed a programme of distinct, bookable dining experiences designed to give guests repeated reasons to visit.

The residency began as a chef takeover during a week in September, followed by dedicated game dinner in October, and there will be British winter seafood evenings in November, before concluding with a New Year’s Eve event.

The takeover week has proved to be a successful initiative because it offers something distinctive and different for customers.

“It was a fully booked event that drove revenue and cleared about 20% higher than our normal weekly income,” Russell says.

Special events such as the game dinner transforms the pub into a fine-dining destination, complete with tablecloths and candlelight.

The experience allows the venue to offer a higher-priced tasting menu while creating an occasion that feels distinct from its usual operation.

It has the benefit of keeping its loyal customer base interested in more repeat visits while it opens up the pub to a wider range of people who travel to the pub for the experience, with the potential to transform them into regular customers.

While the residency has created an additional revenue stream, the pub continues to prioritise its local customer base. Regular events such as pie nights and curry nights remain a staple of the pub’s calendar.

“The residencies and the theme dining club night open us up to a slightly wider market and sometimes a different demographic,” Russell confirms.

General manager Taylor Bryant-Wilkinson agrees and says it is crucial the pub is accessible and has a diverse offering that really appeals to different customers.

“People might feel it is a Wednesday or a Thursday evening and they have had a long day at work and ask ‘shall we go down the pub and have a pie or a fish & chips?’,” says Bryant-Wilkinson.

“It is all about catering to that but you also have people coming down here for a date or a birthday celebration and they want to come down for something really special and have a great experience.”

The pub works hard to show it is not just a fine dining venue, but a pub that offers something for everyone.

“The industry’s changing and that we’ve got to adapt and go alongside that,” admits Russell.

Looking ahead, the business is continuing to explore new opportunities for growth, including plans to add guest bedrooms to the site.

Bringing music to the suburbs

The Kings Arms in Bexleyheath, London, is a pub that has focused on bringing musical events to the pub to increase revenue and bring in new customers.

The pub is already well-known for its entertainment from quizzes, to brunches to live music and barbecues and it always has a packed calendar throughout the year.

One successful initiative from the former Great British Pub Awards winner, licensee Pete Marshall, has been enabled by him using a contact in the entertainment industry to bring some West End theatrical magic to the pub.

Every three months, performers from some of London’s biggest shows sing greatest hits from well-known musicals while customers eat, drink and enjoy the atmosphere.

Three actors perform three 40-minute sets using radio mics so that they can walk around the pub, engage customers and encourage them to join in the singing.

The performers also share stories about the productions and explain why they have chosen particular pieces.

Marshall says: “It’s a phenomenal night, attracting a wider crowd than our regulars. Our West End nights sell out in 24 hours when we announce them on Facebook. 80 people attend paying £10 a head. We don’t make money on the ticket price but see an uplift of 75% to 100% on food and drink sales.”

He says there is a real potential to extend the offer to include dinner in a ticket price, enabling the pub to add another income stream to the event.

Marshall is keen to try out new things in the pub and is happy to trial events.

He introduced ‘Rockaoke’ as a Sunday night as winter attraction. As part of the night, a professional singer is hired to sing between guests’ performances and also act as a backing vocalist. Guests use QR codes to download the artist’s play list with words to singalong to.

Marshall says: “We brief singers in advance to make the performer look good without impacting the atmosphere.”

The singer costs £200 so the pub needs to make £600 to make the event work.

He says that while some events can initially prove popular, the publican needs to test them for different occasions and at different times. Initially, up to 50 people attended but he is now looking at offering this as bookable entertainment for private parties.

“Weekends are already busy and there’s a limit to how many times people will visit the same venue over a weekend,” he advises.

Bath Hotel’s lunchtime food trade

The Bath Hotel in Sheffield is a traditional wet-led pub that has been able to expand its lunchtime trade with a hot food offer.

Known for its craft ales and recognised by CAMRA as a heritage pub, the Grade II-listed venue faced challenges in introducing hot food due to its small kitchen and lack of a dedicated chef. Previously, the pub’s food offering was limited to cold items such as pork pies.

The Bath Hotel has been run by co-owners Ruth Johnson and her partner Brian since November 2000. Its customer base includes students and university staff to office workers, builders and football supporters.

However, the licensees decided they wanted to be able to deliver hot food to customers to add another income stream. The aim was to introduce a manageable menu that complemented the pub’s established drinks business that was suited the way customers used the venue.

To achieve this, they chose to use a desktop oven that fits on the existing bar counter. The oven allows staff to cook food to order from frozen, helping to minimise waste while ensuring quick service. All staff have been fully trained to use the equipment, meaning there have been no additional staff needed.

The introduction of hot food has enabled the venue to begin opening for lunchtime on Wednesday to Sunday, adding a further trading opportunity.

The pub now serves hot food in under five minutes, with popular choices including pie and peas, bar snacks and handheld items.

“Previously, our food offering was limited to cold items and pork pies. There was no reliable way to do hot food without either holding stock or ending up with waste,” says Johnson.

“We didn’t want to turn into a restaurant or start doing full sit-down meals. We just wanted to offer good, hot food that works in a pub environment and fits how people actually use the space.”

The owners plan to expand the menu gradually as awareness grows, keeping the operation manageable and retaining the pub’s character.

“Once people realise we’re doing food, we can do a lot more with it,” she adds.