Meet the Experts...

Making more profit from serving bar food

Roger Clarke, and his partner Diane, have been running The Boot, a traditional, English country pub in Chipperfield, Hertfordshire, for almost 4 years. Built in 1610, it is a listed building, with a large garden, appealing to the 35+ age groups and families.

When asked about the challenges faced recently, Roger said, "We lost about 40% of our wet sales when the smoking ban came in and have been working hard to replace that business by being more creative with our food offer. We were keen to try the Bar Favourites menu from Moy Park Foodservice as something different."

During the two week trial, several diners chose from the Bar Favourites menu and some customers were tempted to choose to eat from it despite only calling in for a drink. Roger felt that the sharing platters went down particularly well, "The Sharing Platters were definitely the most popular item from the Bar Favourites menu as they were the perfect size; not quite a main meal but more than a starter."

The Bar Favourites menu was available between 12.00-2.30 and 6.30-9.00, alongside the regular menu, so it was imperative that the kitchen were able to prepare and present the food quickly and easily. Customers were asked for feedback, and comments were positive; the Wings of Fire on the Chicken Supreme Sharing Platter have become a particular favourite. Roger explains, "The standard of the products from Moy Park Foodservice is very good, it proves that you can buy prepared food and combine it with homemade dishes on your menu without detracting from quality."

Roger suggests that if you want to run a light bar menu alongside your existing food offering, you must ensure the products you choose are easy to cook and quick to serve so that low skilled kitchen staff and bar staff are able to prepare them outside of normal food serving hours.