Its a new year, but we face the same old challenges

by Garry Clark

As we settle in to a new year and a new decade I feel remarkably positive about the year ahead. Despite the potential financial econopocalypse looming and the clearly difficult trading period the industry faces in the last quarter of the fiscal year I feel quite excited about the opportunities this coming year can offer us. Now that all the speculation and hype around the Michelin results is over, we can concentrate on what we are doing now and our ideas to take things forward in 2011.  

As the front of house side of the industry seems to be getting more attention, partly thanks to the public’s increasing fascination with dining out and partly thanks to the stellar efforts of organisations like the Academy of Food and Wine Service, the Court of Master Sommeliers, Imbibe magazine and not forgetting Michel Roux Jr’s television series ‘Service’, I don’t think there has been as exciting a time to be involved in this industry. Don’t get me wrong, times are hard for many restaurants, pubs and hotels, and the sad reality is that I’m sure many more will go to the wall this year. But these hard times encourage us to manage our businesses more effectively. They force us to focus on giving the customer value for money, making those precious pounds and pennies go further therefore encouraging the customers to return. Dare I say it: the recession is good for business.  

Since entering the recession we have looked at the way we serve wines and spirits and the choices we offered. We have looked at the menus and pricing structure, even the timings of bookings and the way we manage the restaurant. Each and every aspect of our business changed over the last two years, some minor, some more significant, but in each and every case the customers were the primary beneficiary of the change. We introduced wines by the carafe offering a smaller measure at a more reasonable price; we introduced a seasonal menu offering a three course meal for £15 less than the a la carte menu and we opened half an hour earlier allowing us to better manage the bookings and take some of the pressure off the kitchen giving everyone a better dining experience. We went to our wine suppliers and secured better deals, sourced better value wines and gave people more choice at the lower end of the price scale.  These ideas and many more helped to ensure we survived and even thrived during the last two years. And while it wasn’t an easy time, we can look back and be proud of what we achieved. And we look forward to the many challenges we will face over the next few year, that little bit wiser.