Anthony Pender, co-founder of the five-strong Yummy Pub Company, talks about needing to stay ahead of the game not only with the group’s peers but all sectors of leisure and retail.
At Yummy Pubs we are in the fortunate position to be opening our fifth site at the end of this summer and it has left us pondering what we need to do to stay ahead of the game.
All publicans now have to compete not only with their peers in other local pubs but all sectors of leisure and retail. We are all competing for our guests’ hard-earned spare pounds.
Looking around, it is clear that both customer service and the product on offer, whether that be food or drink, has improved across the whole eating-out sector and we have some stiff competition from the casual-dining chains.
It is time to realise that offering great food, drink and service is not enough; if you are looking to go beyond the simple ‘quick bite’ you may need to consider the concept of adding theatre and bringing some real tactile environment to the offer.
We’ve been looking at what innovative businesses are doing. You only have to look at the Drake & Morgan sites in the City, Geronimo Pubs and even venues such as the Bull’s Head at Repton, Derbyshire, to see an enhanced guest experience.
Large chains are doing the same, just look at Pizza Express and Carluccio’s with their open kitchen and retail offers all adding to the guest experience.
The emergence of pop-up restaurants and street food in our cities is further evidence of the ever-discerning guest looking for something new, mixing live entertainment with food and great service.
Our own pubs have begun to take advantage of this experiential shift in the eating-out market with our supper club, pantry and on-site veg and livestock.
We are not the only operators out there doing this and my previous list could be drastically longer, but what you have to ask yourself is ‘what kind of outlet do I want to run?’
There is definitely still a place for traditional pubs, convenient eating out and value-driven outlets, we’ve simply made the choice to move into a more special, occasion-driven market where we don’t discount but add value through the guests’ experience; we aim to take them away from the norm and give them a unique visit in the hope that they will come back again and, just as importantly, tell others.
By going down the experiential route you also have the ability to create noise and marketing opportunities through the old idea of the unique selling point, something that we at Yummy Pubs can talk about until the cows come home.
