Summer? Don't make me laugh!!!

Thought it would be a good idea to put a picture of the sun on this blog post - just in case we don't see it again this summer!!!

Flippin heck - that's what it's starting to feel like, don't you think???  How much more rain can be up in that sky???

Anyway - in preparation for the 'summer' James our Chef and I are working on the summer menus - and I'm trying to steer us away from some of the same old, same old!  For a start we're almost certainly moving away from Cod to Haddock. More sustainable and generally a lot easier to get hold of the quantities that we have to buy in.  I've been doing a bit of market research and customers don't seem to be too bothered. We also did a taste test and I thought it tasted as good if not better. what are your thoughts my lovelies???  I also think that this year we are going to have 'printed' menu's for the summer period - hopefully they will last a bit better than the ones in folders we currently use.

Then last week of course I said we were having a rent review. For those of you that don't know - if you're a tenant to a brewery such as we are (St Austell) you pay an amount of rent and you have to buy all your drink through them - but any profits from food etc after you've paid your bills are yours. Simplistically put - but that's it in a nutshell!! Every 3 years our Brewery puts the rent up - they're a business and that's what they do. But I think the difference with a family Brewery such as ours and other business's who aren't Brewers but simply have a chain of public houses as business's is that St Austell are not in the business of ripping us off. It's not in their interest to put us out of business by making the rents untenable, or making us feel that hard work is only rewarded by massive rent hikes.

So there really has been a fair and honest 2 way consultation and discussion - the brewery came up with a 'shadow' set of figures that they believe are where we're at trading wise, we looked at them and discussed them and generally agreed that the proposed rent they had on the table was fair. We're happy (well as happy as you can be with any planned rise!) to stay and to continue making  a success of our pub, St Austell are happy that we stay where we are and continue to sell the beer and make the Victoria Inn a continued success................... 

If you want to have a look at what unhappy tenants of some chains are saying about unfair rent rises etc have a look at the Morning Advertiser or The Publican or BII magazine..........

Tomorrow I'm off to Cornwall for the day on a marketing course - I'm really looking forward to having a day away and being hopefully with dynamic and enthusiastic people who's enthusiasm will rub off on me and I'll come home brimming with ideas!!