Belhaven launches new food service for tenants

Belhaven Pubs, and parent company Greene King Pub Partners, have come up with a new initiative to help tenants drive food sales in their pubs called ‘Pub Partners Supplies’.
Belhaven tenants can now utilise the new food supply service which provides them with a ready-to-go food offer. It has been designed for operators whose business could benefit from the addition of food.
Clive Chesser, managing director for Greene King Pub Partners, said, “We regularly review our estate, and found that many of our pubs had the potential to offer food, but did not necessarily have the right tools to do it. This new service gives our tenants new to food, and without necessarily the support of an experienced chef, everything they need to launch a profitable menu and maximise the potential from their business.”
The launch of ‘Pub Partners Supplies’ allows operators using the service receive an easy to execute menu, free delivery of the necessary products, all allergen information, marketing support including menus, and a two day on-site team training session alongside operational benefits including free waste recycling. Pub Partners Supplies has been developed in partnership with logistics company Kuehne + Nagel (K&N).
Belhaven tenants can opt for either a ‘value’ or ‘quality’ package, both with a range of price points to suit different demographics. The menus are refreshed every six months and licensees invited to a ‘cook-off’ training session to learn about the new dishes.
Clive commented, “Using the skills from our retail development kitchen, we have specifically designed the products and menu to be quick and easy to deliver. Many of our licensees using the scheme have already seen a significant margin increase.”
“We appreciate this approach is not right for every licensee, so there are options within the service for operators wanting more flexibility, for example opting for select dishes to create their own menu, or just our wholesale supply option.”
Andrena Smith-Bowes uses the food supply service for all three of her Belhaven pubs in Edinburgh – The Scottie, The Terrace and The Clermiston Inn. She said, “We use the majority of the quality menu, which we ‘tartanise’ a little to include a few home-made Scottish specials, and it is fantastic. The quality of the meat supplied in particular is exceptionally good.”
“It is a real ‘one stop shop’ for everything you could need and we use it for lots of goods, even the crisps and nuts at the bar. The training element is especially useful. For us, using this service has been the ideal way to generate a decent profit from food and boost the business.”
Outside of the core menu offer, operators can also use the supply system to purchase wholesale crisps and snacks, goods not for resale and other sundries such as Christmas crackers. Licensees also save money on waste disposal, as K&N trucks take away food waste and other recyclables at no cost to the operator, helping Scottish licensees in particular meet their legal obligations, as well as make further cost savings.