Pub operators have blamed a rise in demanding diners on chains that allow customers to tailor their meals and the instancy of social media, writes Lesley Foottit.
From merely expecting good food and service, diners increasingly want to design their own meals by adding or removing certain ingredients.
“More customers want to choose what they want and how they want it, like Subway,” said Stonegate Pub Company head of food Perry Huntley.
“It is customisation. We have given people some flexibility through options on the menu but we don’t want to make it too complex for the staff and kitchen. It is getting much more popular as customers want to be in control.”
Classic Inns’ menu gives the choice of adding salmon or chicken to the risotto and customers can add chicken or cheese to burgers at Yates’s
Brian Whiting, founder of Whiting & Hammond, has also noticed a shift in customer behaviour, though he credits sites such as Twitter and Trip Advisor for driving the change.
“Diners are becoming more demanding, full stop,” he said. “I blame it on social media because people can tell the world about their dining experience in an instant — good or bad. Sometimes they are demanding for the right reasons and make us up our game. It can be a good thing but I hope it doesn’t go too far. It would be crazy to run a company based on Trip Advisor reviews.”
Between Whiting and the seven pub managers, they endeavour to respond to every comment across social media.
JD Wetherspoon senior food development manager Jameson Robinson said modern menus need to be a balance between offering enough choice for the consumer without over-complicating the kitchen.
“People want a range of options but we don’t want to slow down service through complexity of the menu,” he said.
