Hylton Bradley, Hylton's at The Moon and Sixpence, Hanwell
Hylton Bradley started washing up in a hotel and spent 15 years in the trade, working his way up to Head Chef. Eight years ago he opened a restaurant in Banbury and in July 2008 took over as Chef Proprietor at The Moon and Sixpence in Hanwell, Oxfordshire.
He has a 15 year lease with Charles Wells Pub Company and offers a fantastic combination of local pub and food you’d travel miles for. His turnover to date is £430,000 – well above his anticipated results.
“When Charles Wells bought the site, I did my homework and asked what some of their existing licensees thought about them” explained Hylton. “They were given a big thumbs up, with licensees reporting that the support, tools and backup offered are the best in the business.”
“The open and honest relationship with my Retail Development Manager (RDM) has been critical to success” said Hylton. “My first three years rent was agreed up front and I already know the company will be fair when renegotiations come round. My RDM was there to advise me in the transition from running a restaurant to a pub and calls on a range of other experts in the Charles Wells team. We have a meaningful quarterly review assessing business performance and I pick up lots of tips from their promotional magazines.”
Before opening, the pub was stripped back in a joint refurbishment investment of over £250,000 and Hylton was involved throughout the planning and design. “I knew how I wanted the pub and had definite ideas about the kitchen flow” he explained. “The property team offered alternative suggestions when they had better options and were flexible in working together to achieve the best layout possible.”
Hylton attended the five day, BII NITA winning induction programme (CRISP) and found it an excellent foundation, particularly appreciating getting practical advice on running back of house from an existing licensee. Despite already running a business, he found the accountancy module helpful and registered with the recommended accountants for a year, noting “I get fantastic reports back and the information forms a great start for my business review with my RDM.”
The cellar training was most important, though, as he’d previously sold only bottled beers in his restaurant. “Charles Wells has a great selection of appealing beers which are great to use in cooking so you can quickly establish a point of difference. We also stock over 50 wines and it was helpful to have the experienced advice of their wine specialist when drawing up our wine list.”
Hylton’s also had marketing support to identify his target market, design the launch, plan ongoing promotions and benefitted from their mystery visitor programme to assist staff training. Similarly, one call to the helpdesk sees instant results – whether it’s organising repairs or checking delivery details and he reassured to know so much support is available when he needs it.
“I find it an absolute pleasure to work with the Charles Wells Pub Company team” said Hylton. “We can have a laugh together, they call me Hylton not Mr Bradley or House number 825 and yet their professionalism and customer service is never less than 100%.”
He believes running your own pub is an easy way of getting into business at a reasonable price and advises anyone who’s thinking about it to go for it. “It’s hard work but is a relaxed environment and a better alternative than a fine dining restaurant. My skills were easily transferable and I couldn’t have made a better move. I’m constantly amazed at the practical and bespoke support Charles Wells Pub Company offers and know I made the right decision in choosing one of their pubs for this business venture.”
http://www.themoonandsixpencehanwell.com/
