LUNCH RUSH - THE OLD COCK INN

The Old Cock Inn is a cosy local pub in Droitwich, Worcestershire with a comfortable atmosphere and a history dating back to the reign of Queen Anne, when it was first licensed to sell alcohol in 1712. Many of the clientele are very loyal and some have been visiting for a number of years.

Julia Saunders has been running the kitchen at the Old Cock Inn since October 2007 but lately the rising cost of food has proved challenging. "All of our suppliers have had to increase their prices and we are trying hard not to pass that on to our customers. Wherever possible, we buy locally, across the menu," she explains.

With an already well established lunchtime customer base, Julia was keen to try the "Lunch Rush" menu from Moy Park Foodservice to see if it would attract more people with little time for lunch, seeking good quality, quick food, but not 'fast' food. She explains that their Steak & Stilton sandwich is a firm menu favourite that regular customers have told her never to remove from the menu, so the Lunch Rush menu had to be devised to accommodate the tastes of the existing customers as well as be quick to prepare.

After two weeks, "Lunch Rush" proved successful, with up to 20 customers per day tempted enough to order from it; about 50% of all orders. Some of the items on the "Lunch Rush" menu included Diced Chicken Tikka in Pitta bread, Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets in a wrap, Baby Camembert Salad, Spicy Bean Burger in a bun and sharing platters which included Roast Chicken Drumsticks, Natural Battered Onion Rings and Brie Wedges, as well as sweet treats such as Apple Pie and Chocolate Mini Donuts.

"The Chickwich™ Steak Burger was very popular with customers as were all the menu items which included the Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets (Warm Caesar Salad, Ultimate Chicken Platter and Tortilla Wrap). Customers told us that they liked the texture and the flavour of the chicken and I'd agree; the fact that the Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets are made with whole muscle makes all the difference," Julia explains and she thinks that more people might be attracted to The Old Cock Inn if elements of the Moy Park Foodservice "Lunch Rush" menu were kept as a permanent feature.

Staff even kept a book in which they could record feedback from the customers at the Old Cock Inn:

"The Diced Chicken Tikka jacket potato was very tasty"

"All items on the Ultimate Chicken Platter were very good and very tasty"

"The ChickwichTM Steak Burger was much better than others tried before and I would order it again"

"The Warm Chicken Caesar Salad was excellent and very tasty. I would order it again"

"The Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillet in a wrap made a pleasant change from bread, I would order it again"

"The Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillet in a wrap and the Diced Chicken Tikka pitta bread were both good quality and very tasty. We'd order both again"

Julia describes how she found using the Moy Park Foodservice products, "Portion control was very easy and the consistency of the quality was great. Our regulars know what they want and like to know they will get consistently good food every time. In particular, the Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets had a good texture; you could tell it was 'real' chicken and not pre-formed meat. They were very tasty and moreish. The Spicy Bean Burgers were lovely; I always used to make mine from scratch and would never before have thought that I could buy any as good as my own but I won't be making another bean burger in future. The texture was good and they were really tasty. Moy Park Foodservice's Battered Natural Onion Rings were really good and look like homemade as they are made with complete rings of onion and not chopped and reformed. Again, I used to make my own but will consider buying from Moy Park Foodservice in future."

Julia is about to make some seasonal changes to the menu at the Old Cock Inn and "Lunch Rush" has made her reconsider the format of her menus and what she offers customers. "We will definitely be keeping some items from the "Lunch Rush" menu and will introduce more sharing platters. Moy Park Foodservice's Battered Natural Onion Rings, Spicy Bean Burgers, Roast Chicken Drumsticks and Crunchy Chick 'n' Mini Fillets will certainly have a place in my kitchen in future as we also provide buffets and outside catering."

Julia's top tips for pubs wanting to attract more people at lunchtime:

Speed is essential when offering a lunchtime menu. Some customers only have one hour for lunch and once they have travelled 10 minutes to and from their workplace, they need to know they can get their food within a reasonable time
Quality is important to set you aside from everyone else as there is plenty of 'average' food being offered
Consistency. It is always better to be constantly good, than great on some days and bad on others
Value. There is a huge difference between "value for money" and "cheap". Most customers will pay for good quality so don’t cut corners

To find out more about the range of Moy Park Foodservice products, create your own bespoke menu and to download your free eye-catching POS, visit www.moyparkfoodservice.com or call the Prime Line on 01480 445900.