Meet the Experts...

Making more from lunchtimes

The Pillar of Salt is a community pub just outside Droitwich town centre, with a mix of customers, from elderly couples to young families.

Recently, the spiralling costs of energy and food have been hard to contain, which is why Justin Bradley, who has only been at the Pillar of Salt for 3 months, was keen to try out Moy Park Foodservice's "Lunch Rush" menu for some new ideas.

The menu consisted of a range of items including the Chickwich™ Steak Burger and Spicy Bean Burger, Diced Chicken Tikka served either in a pitta bread or as a jacket potato topping, Sharing Platters with combinations of Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets, Roast Chicken Drumsticks, Natural Battered Onion Rings, Baby Camembert and Brie Wedges, and Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets, either as part of a Caesar salad or in a tortilla wrap. All of these items were chosen for their ease and speed of preparation in the kitchen.

Justin says that during the trial, his food sales and spend per head increased. The Ultimate Chicken Platter was a favourite, as it was something very different from any food previously offered, and the Chickwich™ Steak Burger served with a side of Battered Onion Rings proved particularly popular with the darts team!

"The "Lunch Rush" menu was very popular because our food offering was so patchy beforehand, as it has been hard to recruit a permanent chef. The new food was welcomed by our customers and as we have no chef at the Pillar of Salt, the bar staff had to prepare everything. I think the Lunch Rush menu was a great success as it enabled us to present great looking food, quickly, with a lack of skill in the kitchen."

"If you are thinking of putting on lunchtime food to attract more customers, make sure you give fast service and serve good quality food that is uncomplicated to prepare," he advises.