Extra Revenue for Inns

With not knowing what is going on in the world with Coronavirus and how the Government will act, it is important that we do all we can to ensure revenue is coming into our businesses and try and stand out from the crowd.

We need to think outside the boxes, we all know that the pubs and restaurants main sources of income are Food, Beverage and Accommodation, but what other ways can revenue be bought into your business.

Overall, the below explains how you can make extra revenue from the following points:

• Adding a retail cabinet somewhere

• Is your brand or logo cool? Create merchandise

• Gift Vouchers

• Blankets for outdoor dining in tier 2

• Pigs Ears for dogs

• Private Dining alternatives such as creating a Gym or Workout Sessions

• Meetings for mixed households up to 6

• Work from ‘the pub’

• Plants

• Partnering up with local attractions

• Wine Tastings & Supper Clubs

• Recipe cards along with exciting and upselling takeaways & groceries

• Takeaway Coffees

• Upselling

• Afternoon offering

• Taking certain dishes off the menu or adding £s to dishes at peak times such as the burger or fish & chips

• Little touches - guest recognition, welcome letters to residents

All of these things could provide additional revenue directly, and indirectly through content marketing to remind guests that you are there for them.

We know the obvious of takeaways (food and beverage) and groceries, along with becoming the village ‘hub’ which you may still be continuing since lockdown ended the 1st time. However, how about having a ‘retail cupboard’ set up somewhere in the pub or you could even use it as a division between tables. Especially with Christmas coming up, include some good gifts for guests to take away. Remember to make it look attractive and make it well known that it is there. Things you could include are:

• Toiletries - if you have nice toiletries in your rooms, why not put them on display and sell them. Maybe the brand you use has matching candles and reed diffusers also? Make known to residents that they can buy the products from the bar. You could also put a nice little sign next to the ones in the pub toilets.

• Soft furnishings - do you have swanky throws, cushions, dog beds in your bedrooms? Why not have these available for guests to buy? You could even get some and have them branded so people remember you when they use them.

• Candle holders - maybe the same as the ones you have on your tables

• Good Pub guides (that you are in), good cookbooks such as Pierre Koffman, Hemsley & Hemsley or Hix

• Jewellery - why not have a couple of pieces from a local supplier, you will be surprised how many people stop and look

• Glassware - do you serve your drinks in nice glassware such as Riedel? Why not, let guests know they can buy them too?

• Hand sanitiser - find a local supplier that has made their own that you can stock, a nice alternative to the standard ones you find in the supermarket.

• Deer antlers - do you get guests going into your pub loving the antlers that are on the wall? Have a few available for guests to buy for their homes.

These are just a few ideas. Don’t overstock on these items however as you don’t want these items just sat there gathering dust, create a PAR stock like you would for food & beverage.

What do guests pop out to buy at the weekend? Things like a tape measure, picture hooks, a hammer, a plant pot, bin bags, hand cream and gifts for birthday presents. Why not add some of these things, people are probably likely to pop to you to buy them if

they know you supply and would probably stop for a pint or glass of wine also.

Is your brand or logo cool? Why not sell custom merchandise such as umbrellas, hoodies or caps. Not only will you make money on the products, but you will also have guests walking around wearing them for others to see who may not know you - extra marketing.

Other ways of additional revenue, could be through Vouchers either as monetary or for a specific thing such as a nights stay or afternoon tea. As these tend to be gifts, this could be seen as additional revenue as maybe the person receiving wouldn’t normally come to you. Also, many vouchers don’t actually get redeemed, so it would be pure revenue, or if they ask to extend, let them as a generosity piece, but tell them when they can and can't use it, for example, January to March.

As the winter is coming, and many places will be in tier two, why not sell blankets for guests outside. Due to Coronavirus, you probably don’t want to just supply them as it could be quite costly having to wash between each use, so why not sell them? You could have branded ones also. Another option could be to hire them out to cover cleaning costs. Make your guests aware that they can dine outside and you have heaters and blankets available to ensure they still come and eat out.

How about selling Pigs Ears for dogs. It’s nice to give the little treats away, but how about selling Pigs Ears which will keep the majority of dogs occupied for ages. You may only make 50p an ear, but if you sell 40 a week, that’s still an extra £1k a year.

Have you got a Private Dining room sat empty right now that wouldn’t work as additional dining space? Why not hire or buy a few gym cycling bikes and use the room as a gym. You could do a session with a pint or a brunch & fresh juice at a set price. Could the Private Dining room be used to do something like yoga classes? Alternatively, you could partner with a local gym where the guest does a class at the gym and then come to you for a healthy lunch.

With many people working from home now and offices disappearing, there are more people getting together for meetings. You could rent out your Private Dining space for this. If you are in Tier 2, yes, you can’t mix households inside, however, you can still hold business meetings for up to 6 from different households - ensure your guests are aware of this and you are ready with the information to answer any enquiries immediately.

Also, with the increased working from home, some may want to get out of their home for a day of work. Make people aware that they are welcome to use a table in your pub, that you have plug sockets, wifi etc. Why not say for £x they get unlimited tea or coffee, free wifi etc. I would expect the majority of these would end up having lunch also, and maybe even a glass of wine after.

Why not partner up with local attractions so guests are able to purchase tickets for them from you. You can market them through channels such as your website, on social media, on email confirmations or in your retail cupboard, and they could do the same for you for somewhere to dine or stay when visiting. They could give you a discounted price on tickets so that you can make a little profit or package them up with a room or dining experience. This can create content, something to talk about.

You may not be able to offer huge events right now, but why not offer something like a wine tasting? You could have people book in for different times, different tables like you would normal restaurant tables. And have your Team go around each table explaining, just run the event differently, more like an evening supper service rather than an event. You could provide cards that have tasting notes etc. on, to take away - and also use this to market other things that are going on in your business. Host a Supper Club in the same way.

Going back to the obvious offerings, your groceries, don’t just supply the obvious, let guests know they can purchase your charcuterie or artisan cheeses. Have you got an amazing olive oil they can take away? Or maybe Truffles? Or Homemade Chocolates? Make the offering more exciting with products they wouldn’t normally buy from their local supermarket but more from a trendy farm shop. Why not add in some herb plants, or even plants? You could have them on display around the pub to brighten it up and make guests aware that they can take them away with them for a price.

Why not do a recipe card with the ingredients to make that dish from something that is popular on your menu? You could even provide a link to a video of how to create that dish.

Make your takeaways exciting, add things such as pre-made cocktails as an extra upsell. Why not add a cheese or charcuterie board so the guest get a good selection rather than just one block of cheese like they would from a shop.

Offer takeaway coffees, not just as a takeaway offering, but when guests check-out for their journey home, or if a table doesn’t order coffees at the table with/after desert, offer this then as an option to them.

Encourage upselling with all your staff. As soon as your guests seat at the table ask if they would like a drink. Try and get a drink in before they order their food. Have a few aperitifs on your food menu that are easy to spot and eyecatching, but ensure they are quick and easy to make and have good GPs. If the guests don’t order starters, suggest they order one or two to share on the table and the same when it comes to desserts. On your menu, make sure there are a couple of starters that would work as a sharing option for an upsell opportunity such as half a pint of prawns, crispy squid or charcuterie. Ensure when guests order drinks such as a gin & tonic, they are offered a large and ask which gin they require, same with a glass of wine, do they want a large, what wine do they want? Try and move guests away from ordering the house (unless you have a good retro deal in place of course).

Do you get much afternoon trade? Do you offer anything to guests in the afternoon? Why not have something simple available such as scones with cream and jam or sausage rolls. Simple for the front of house staff to organise, good GP and nice to have something to upsell to guests in the afternoon. Especially if you have rooms, when they check in mention that you have some lovely scones available.

We know about Revenue Management of rooms, but how about Revenue Management on menus. For example, if you are always full on a Friday & Saturday night for food, why not either take off the cheap burger on the menu, so the guests have to order something more costly, or add an extra £1 to the burger to make more revenue from it. Another way to word it could be that Sunday to Thursday you get £3 (£1 doesn’t sound much) off burgers for example to then drive people to come out mid-week, but then it’s also not seen as you adding £s to the menu at peak times.

There are little touches that don’t need to cost a lot at all that could make a difference. Things such as personalised email confirmations, pre-stay emails, post-stay emails. How about writing a little note for guests welcoming them and leaving these on the end of their bed. Noticing the repeat guests and making their stay a little more personable. Use the systems you have in place to record things about your guests. For example, ‘Profile Notes’ on Opentable, record what wine your guests like, when their birthdays are, if they had any problems last time, their feedback, where they live, how many children they have, their dog's name - and use this to really know your guests, they will feel special and enjoy coming back time and time again.

One thing to remember with all the above is, it’s not all about just creating revenue, you need to ensure this is also bringing you profit, make sure your GPs are all set on Food & Beverage, little touches aren’t going to be costly but create added value and that you don’t overstock.

Please get in touch if you would like a hand helping implementing any of the above.