The Sunday lunch issue is ludicrous. At my local and others in the area, Sunday was the only day that any sort of volume of food was still being produced and even that was less than it had been previously because it had been tainted by association with the frozen stuff. To randomly throw away that trade is another piece of business insanity. I've had a peek at a copy of the new menu that I think is to be introduced soon, and on the surface it does look better, with more choice, sandwiches, snacks, even a steak and gammon.
If this had been the original menu, maybe it would have kept a few customers, but at the end of the day it is still poor quality pie food that makes up the bulk of the list. People have already shown their distaste for this food (if someone could show me an establishment that has done well I would be grateful) and while this is an improvement, it is a case of far too little far too late. Those pubs who were allowed to continue with Sunday lunch have surely proved that people want proper fresh home cooked food.
I regularly eat Sunday Lunch, often at my local Sams house, but I want a traditional roast when I do. If the menu I have seen is what is on offer, then I will now be taking my lunchtime trade reluctantly elsewhere on every day of the week (having abandoned my week day afternoons when the food originally changed and yes I did try it 3 times before I abandoned it)
The menu I have seen may work in the larger town centre pubs, since it is very similar to some of the big chain menus that do seem to do ok (although they do run attractive promotions to get people in) but all the Sams pubs in our area are smallish houses, which need something different to get people in. I'm wasting my breath again aren't I? Perhaps one day Mr Smith will see the error of his ways, but the harsh truth is that if he is having any cash flow problems, and if his houses are not as profitable as they once were, then it is all entirely of his own making.
How much longer do you need for the evidence to be self explanatory? It is no good blaming everyone else for losing trade when it is himself that is to blame. Most managers know how to revitalise their pubs in a matter of months, but that would contradict every Humphrey policy of recent times, i.e. Music, TVs, proper food and from what I can gather from other posts on this site, staff hours since I gather that most pubs probably couldnt cope with a return to the trade pre the music ban because he wouldnt allow an increase in staff hours.
Never have I seen a problem with such a straight forward solution be not only ignored for so long but also be exacerbated by further daft ideas. Perhaps he really does want trade to plummet? I can think of no other reason, but low turnover and low staff hours surely doesnt make more money than high turnover and sensible staffing levels? Does it? What am I missing? Oh yes. Hes a nutter.
