Couple’s great start beats sales forecast
One year after taking over the only pub in the little village of Ashton, Ian and Rebecca Street were celebrating a successful first year in their first public house.
They became licensees of The Old Crown, in February 2009 – and 12 months later were looking back on a year when, despite recession, they achieved sales above projections.
“It has been a good first year, all things considered,” said Ian, who had 12 years’ experience as a chef before he and Becks decided to use their backgrounds in hospitality to run their own pub business.
The village – between Northampton and Milton Keynes – had clearly been waiting for someone like the Streets.
“There’d been temporary managers running The Old Crown for a while and local people had become disenchanted with constantly changing staff,” said Ian.
They did their research thoroughly at the outset and knew who they wanted to attract to the pub – locals and “people who like fine food standards without the pomp and price” says Ian.
“We’ve attracted the people we wanted to without advertising – apart from a regular leaflet which we distribute door to door, and email to a few customers, telling them about forthcoming events and theme nights.” They also email people signed up to the pub’s Facebook account.
Local people supported the Streets and word of the good quality, home-cooked food, locally sourced, has spread, and diners come in from a wide radius of the pub.
“It is a compliment when people come back,” said Ian.
But they keep coming back for such dishes as Local Pork Sausages with bubble and squeak and cider gravy and Rump Steak with garlic, peppercorn and blue cheese butter and chips.
They can serve up to 50 covers at a time and offer food six days a week – they are closed on Mondays.
They try to run a special event every month – with events like Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ Day. Last Mothers’ Day they served 100 covers in three sittings and also have Spanish tapas theme on their events plan.
The first year milestone was reached on February 17. “We’re now into our second year and we want to fine-tune things and build trade if we can,” said Ian.
“But if our turnover stays the same as it has been in the first year, we will still be pleased with that.”
Ian and Becks brought many years of hospitality industry experience to their first pub.
Ian had been a chef in four star and heritage hotels, an agency head chef working at various hotel restaurants and had some banqueting experience at Silverstone and Towcester racecourse. He had worked in restaurants throughout the UK and in Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Becks had completed a degree in hospitality management before working for a year at a prestigious Connecticut country club in the USA.
She had also worked at Silverstone as staff hospitality manager, sourcing staff for such events as the Formula One British Grand Prix and Moto GP, the world’s premier motorcycling championship.
