Foodservice Equipment Journal – August 2019

I

t might operate in a

predominantly beverage-led

category, as most pub operations

naturally do, but a significant

focus on delivering an enhanced food

strategy is proving transformative for

2,700-strong Star Pubs & Bars.

And that has kept food strategy and

implementation manager, Mark Teed,

busy since he joined the Heineken-

owned business 18 months ago. The

Dorset-based exec — an experienced

pub and casual dining operator, who

even ran his own pub for a period of

time — is the company’s senior source

on culinary matters, which sees him

liaise with everyone from

licensees and area business

development managers to

Star’s property division

and leadership team.

His work involves

writing tools, building

training plans and creating

initiatives that collectively

help to support Star’s burgeoning

food business. One of the more

recent drivers has been the need to

develop a credible managed offer that

stands out from the crowd in terms

of presentation, quality and value for

money — and reflects the hottest food

trends — all while being operationally

deliverable for those that run its pubs.

Teed, therefore, constantly has

one eye on the wider foodservice

sector in a bid to assess if new and

emerging trends can be adapted for

its own business. “I need to be aware

of everything that is happening in the

industry — what’s coming up, what

works, what doesn’t work and to be

able to convey that to our business and

also to the people in our leased and

tenanted pub estate who operate pubs

with us,” he explains.

Just Add Talent

The Star estate is broadly leasehold

but it has a growing managed operator

arm with a centralised food offer,

which falls within its Just Add Talent

(JAT) framework. “There are over

100 of those and we plan to have

150 by the end of 2019. The majority

are converted from our leased and

tenanted estate — so we haven’t

acquired them and they are not new-

builds, they are all conversions.

There is criteria involved in making

sure they fit the model. It is a

centralised offer so it is an offer that

we dictate using all of our learnings.”

The ability to provide an extensive

level of support to those with a limited

food plan or no offer at all is central to

the entire model. Of the 50 or so sites

that will join the programme by

the end of the year, a good

chunk are likely to already

have kitchen facilities in

place but they will require

considerable alteration

to enable them to deliver

the proposition. “What’s

interesting is that because

we know what the offer is, we know

what kitchen template is needed to

deliver it,” says Teed of the merits of a

centralised model.

Data analysis plays a key part in the

success of the JAT structure. Sales

records are used to produce up-to-date

reports on which dishes are selling

and when they are selling. “I think

it is really powerful — I love sharing

that information with a leased and

tenanted operator, to say ‘here are

our top 10 dishes, this is what the UK

population is buying from us’. It’s not

dissimilar to any other managed pub

group but as a leased and tenanted

operator you might not ordinarily take

time out to look at that yourself.”

The proportion of Star pubs

serving food has grown significantly

in recent years, with many regarding

it as the clearest way to future-proof

the business in what remains a

competitive sector. “If we can have

pubs that do food, it is another avenue

for revenue. It is part of our strategy

of building strong pub businesses

with multiple income streams that are

sustainable for the long term.”

Menu evolution is an important

aspect of Teed’s role. Over the summer

months the company is promoting

its ‘Burger Festival’ offering — a

compelling addition to the regular

seasonal menu that offers customers

an array of fanciful burger choices.

“We will always create offers around

what sells, so burgers in a community

pub are in our top 10 sales, but you

wouldn’t see us go down the line of

doing couscous and quinoa wraps.

You’ve got to make sure it is pub-

relevant. We can look at trends that

come through but it is all about making

sure they fit the pub sector.

The Star estate comprises

more than 2,700 properties.

£50m

The amount that Star

parent Heineken

is investing in the

refurbishment of 150

pubs in 2019

WE ALWAYS BUILD IN CAPACITY FOR LONGER

TERM GROWTH, AND GIVE THEM THE SPACE

AND EQUIPMENT TO GROW THEIR OFFER”

http://www.foodserviceequipmentjournal.com August 2019 | Foodservice Equipment Journal | 15

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