With nearly £200m spent on its property over the last six years, Star Pubs & Bars has emerged as one of the excessive fliers of the British pub sector. The organization has recognized meals as the middle detail of its growth approach, impacting how it designs and equips kitchens. FEJ traveled to the Jolly Friar in Basildon, Essex — which has undergone new management and indoor refurbishment — to get the whole lowdown from Star’s meals leader Mark Teed.

It may operate predominantly in a beverage-led category, as maximum pub operations do. Still, an enormous cognizance of handing over a better meal method is proving transformative for two seven hundred-robust Star Pubs & Bars.

That has kept meal method and implementation manager Mark Teed busy since he joined the Heineken-owned business 18 months ago.

The Dorset-primarily based exec — a skilled pub and casual eating operator who even ran his pub for a time frame — is the enterprise’s senior source on culinary topics, which sees him liaise with all people from licensees and location enterprise development managers to Star’s belongings department and management crew.

His work involves writing gear, building schooling plans, and growing projects that collectively assist in aiding Star’s burgeoning food commercial enterprise. One of the latest drivers has been the want to expand a reputable controlled offer that sticks out from the gang in terms of presentation, first-class, and cost—for—money and reflects the most up-to-date meal traits—all while being operationally deliverable for people who run its pubs.

Teed, consequently, constantly monitors the wider food service area to evaluate whether new and emerging developments can be adapted for its own business. “I want to be privy to the entirety of this that is taking place in the industry—what’s arising, what works, what doesn’t, and how to convey that to our commercial enterprise and also to the people in our leased and tenanted pub estate who perform pubs with us,” he explains.

Just Add Talent

The Star property is extensively leasehold; however, it has a growing controlled operator arm with a centralized food offer, which falls within its Add Talent (JAT) framework. “There are over a hundred of those, and we plan to have a hundred and fifty by the end of 2019. Most are converted from our leased and tenanted property, so we haven’t received them. They may not be new builds but are all conversion criteria, ensuring they suit the model. Since it is a centralized offer, it is suggested that we dictate the usage of all of our learnings.”

The capability to offer extensive assistance to those with a restricted food plan or no offer in any respect is critical to the whole version. Of the 50 or so websites that will join the program through the top of the 12 months, an amazing chew is likely to have already got kitchen facilities in the location; however, they’ll require widespread alteration to permit them to supply the proposition. “What’s exciting is that due to the fact we know what the provider is, we recognize what kitchen template is needed to deliver it,” says Teed of the merits of a centralized model.

Data analysis is a key component in fulfilling the JAT shape. Sales records provide up-to-date reviews on which dishes are selling and when they may be selling.

“I think it’s miles without a doubt effective. I love sharing that record with a leased and tenanted operator to say, ‘Right here are our top 10 dishes; this is what the UK population is shopping for from us’.’ It’s no longer distinct from another controlled pub group, but as a leased and tenanted operator, you might not take a day trip to study that yourself.”

The proportion of Star pubs serving meals has grown considerably in recent years, with many considering it as the clearest way to future-proof the enterprise in a competitive region. “If we can have pubs that do food, it’s miles any other street for sales. It is a part of our strategy of building sturdy pub groups with a couple of income streams that are sustainable for the long term.”

Menu evolution is a crucial element of Teed’s function. During the summer, the company sells its ‘Burger Festival’ offering—a compelling addition to the ordinary seasonal menu that offers clients an array of fanciful burger selections.

“We usually create offers around what sells, so burgers in a community pub are our pinnacle ten income. However, you wouldn’t see us do couscous and quinoa wraps. You’ve got to make certain it is pub-applicable. We can examine trends that come through. However, it is all about making sure they fit the pub zone.