Good morning!
This week I attended the Tenanted Pub Summit. It was great to hear all the positive and progressive work happening in the sector.
There were two main focuses at this year’s conference; Partnerships and Innovation. On the innovation side, we heard from some fabulous publicans who are doing something “different” with their pubs-
The Glaswegian pub that not only hosts a Steak Night, but has a waiter come round to diners with a selection of steak knives for them to choose from with the phrase “pick your weapon”!
The Kent pub that delivers roast dinners to the elderly
The Cornish publican who stages costume dramas and re-enactments during the summer months in her garden
What came through, loud and clear, was the pub industry’s need to diversify. I think we all know by now that it’s not good enough to just open your doors and serve beer.
One of the great evolutions in the industry that we’ve seen is the use of the pub throughout the day; coffee, pastries, areas for customers to work; in fact, I was in a pub in Leeds last week where, during a refurb, they had put in extra plug sockets with USB ports and a WiFi booster in one section to attract that day time professional customer.
We asked the members of KAMunity if they would be more likely to go to their local pub/bar if they had a better daytime offer of coffee and pastries; 47% said they would.
The picture below shows the daytime offer at Albert Schloss in Manchester- at night this area becomes a cocktail bar.
What have you seen pubs and bars doing that’s different/exciting? Please let me know, it’s great to keep learning!
A busy weekend coming up; dinner with a friend tonight, tomorrow Mr Katy and I are heading out to an exhibition called Bedlam, about the rise and fall of the mental asylum (or, as I call it, home), followed by dinner in Soho.
On Sunday, after a kicky-leaf walk, it’s dinner at a friends’ farm down in Surrey, followed, I’m sure, but a pint or two in their local. Perfect!
