Star Pubs & Bars is making its Just Add Talent (JAT) managed operator food menus available to its leased and tenanted licensees, enabling them to benefit from negotiated discounts and food insight support it provides to its managed operators.
Aimed at the company’s community pubs, which make up around three-quarters of the estate, SP&B is passing on the food benefits its JAT pubs receive to licensees following successful trials in a number of leased pubs. Those who want it, will have insight-based menus, allergen information and the substantial discounts negotiated for JAT sites with Brakes and crockery suppliers.
Licensees can choose from three menus – one aimed at pubs who may not have done food in the past or have a smaller kitchen footprint, a central core offer, and a step up from the mainstream which includes sharing boards and charcuterie. Licensees are also able to offer the managed operator award-winning children’s menu and an edgier millennial friendly 'Indecent Burger Proposal' wings and burger menu.
Mark Teed, Head of Food for Star Pubs & Bars, said, “At last year’s forums licensees asked for our help reducing their food costs. Using the JAT menus enables them to leverage our purchasing power. We have a library of menus to choose from. As our BDMs have detailed knowledge of the pubs in their postcodes, they can ensure that there is differentiation between pubs close to one another.
“We are not making any margin on this and are completely transparent; we are passing all savings on directly to licensees. The intention is to help our licensees grow their food business, ensuring those businesses are sustainable in the long-term.”
The fully costed menus are devised on the back of research into food trends on what and when people are eating when they are eating, They include allergen information and are updated frequently. All the photography is done by a professional food photographer with a food stylist.
Licensees will also have access to support for some of the biggest food occasions of the year like Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Christmas as well as targeted seasonal promotions like ice cream summer sundae & or on-trend burger festival menus with guidance on how to promote and execute events.
Case study: Wellington Arms, Southampton
The Wellington Arms, a top-quality real ale house in Southampton was one of the first leased pubs to trial Star Pubs & Bar’s managed operator menus. Food sales immediately doubled and have remained at the higher level for eleven months.
Licensee Martyn Godwin said, “The menu is still traditional pub food, but a step up from what we offered before. It features great photography and really well written descriptions that tempt people. We’ve had two menu refreshes since starting - including a fantastic three-course Christmas menu - which have kept our customers interested. We receive lots of compliments.
'Another major benefit is that the food spec is easy for junior kitchen staff to learn to cook. It's worked really well for us, so we have now successfully introduced it in our other Star Pubs & Bars' pub in Romsey.”