Landlord: Terence Greaves
Location: Allerton Bywater, Castleford
“We will definitely continue to sell Big Al’s at The Anchor, they have been a huge success!”
The Anchor in Allerton Bywater, Castleford undertook a trial to establish whether easy to prepare hot bar snacks could to help improve business in this previously wet only outlet.
With no ‘working kitchen’ and only one member of staff, the pub needed a quick, convenient solution to keep its hungry customers in the pub and not rushing to the local takeaway at the end of the evening.
Taking stock of the range and simply installing a 1000 watt microwave, Terence started to promote the range using the free POS provided, including posters in the pub and on an A-board outside the front door and tent cards on the tables.
Within a week the customers soon realised that they could get a quality burger at a fraction of the price of a well known fast food outlet and served in less time than it took Terence and his bar staff to serve a pint of beer.
“The sheer quality and convenience of the range makes this perfect for my customers. They don’t want to order food that takes 20 minutes to arrive, they want a hot and tasty snack in minutes. I have been searching for something to serve throughout the night and before coming across Big Al’s I hadn’t seen anything else that looks and tastes as good.”
During a six week trial The Anchor sold 66 4oz beef burgers, 49 chicken grills and 15 BBQ pork ribsteaks, generating additional profit for the pub. Most of the customers who ordered food also bought more drinks.
“Our top tip would be to keep it simple. Serving just a burger with a plain relish worked really well for us. However, I can see the potential for other pubs to make more of the range by serving with chips or garnish but that’s not what our customers want.”
Big Al’s had a noticeable effect on the pub, with more customers entering the pub earlier than usual to grab a bite to eat as well as for their usual drink or two and in some cases people stayed in the pub longer.
