“The other thing is that we have
to make sure it is all operationally
deliverable. We will try to use skus that
we have on other parts of the menu to
avoid slowing the kitchen down. The
moment you menu-create an offer that
the kitchen is not used to delivering,
you get ‘hang on a minute, for 51 weeks
of the year we knock out burgers and
fish and chips and then you come and
chuck something else in which just
brings the kitchen to a stop’.”
The JAT menu has been a game-
changer for Star, allowing it to harness
its in-house expertise to develop
appetising dishes that cater to the
different demographics it has visiting
its pubs. It has also developed an array
of tools to support pubs around food.
‘Business Builder’, for instance, offers
licensees ideas to maximise their food
across all day-parts and occasions, and
increase the frequency of customer
visits. It holds regular licensee forums,where attendees can discuss tips and
trends with like-minded operators,
while its own business development
managers have been upskilled to be
able to share as much expertise with
licensees as possible.
“Our long term strategy is that food
is an area that requires a lot of skill and
licensees are going to continue to need
support, so this is not a flash in the pan
investment for us,” insists Teed.
Help is also offered where kitchen
infrastructure is concerned. Star has
schemes in place that provide licensees
with access to big ticket items such as
ovens, fridges and grills without having
to find the upfront capital themselves
— a valuable incentive when most
licensees taking on a new business
might be inclined to invest in front-
of-house areas first. Teed estimates it
could slash their costs by up to 70%.Kitchen templates
Star has developed six core kitchen
templates that it uses for sites that
require catering facilities, with each
blueprint conceived to serve a certain
number of covers and dishes. Most of
its pub kitchens typically incorporate
grills, fryers, combination ovens and
commercial microwaves, but the
amount and type of equipment will
vary the bigger the site is.REDUCING ENERGY
CONSUMPTION
IS DEFINITELY
SOMETHING WE WANT
TO INCORPORATE
IN OUR KITCHEN
EQUIPMENT SPEC
GOING FORWARD”Star has created six kitchen
templates to support licensees
expanding into food.Star takes inspiration from wider food trends
but adapts new dishes to fit its audience.16 | Foodservice Equipment Journal | August 2019 http://www.foodserviceequipmentjournal.com
COVER STORY