So, my brothers restaurant has been open for nearly 5 months. And a lot has happened. Last time I wrote it was just before Christmas and was heading back to Wales for my xmas ‘holiday’. Otherwise known as a working holiday.
As we all know you cannot plan when a place comes available. Considering his timing wasn’t fantastic and he missed the Christmas bookings he had a busy December. Curiosity won him customers and the the best part… they keep coming back! Local people were dying to see how he’d change it and the main thing… if the place had been shown the luxury of a mop and bucket!
The old men, sorry I mean the ‘regulars’ came to prop the bar up and despite their grumbles about the lack of tv and how “Jayne and Pete wouldn’t have done it like that” they have warmed to my brother. As it turns most of them were friends with our Taid and so he’s proved himself to be a ‘local lad.’ Jayne and Pete are of course the old owners and have now moved to a different place in the next village. On the opening night they claimed the ‘food wouldnt work’ however, most of them have been in for a meal and are now not just regular drinkers but regular eaters to… so much for it not working then??
Despite it being his first Christmas and the late opening date, Gaz wasnt happy. “We need more custom.”
So Gareth decided more advertising was the way forward. He used his old contacts at the local newspapers and placed adverts in there. A few days later came the call with the mardy voice. “How do you fancy helping me out with a little leafleting?” A little leafleting? Yeh ok….. 4000 leaflets later I was still delivering!
But it was worth it. The leaflets worked, new customers were coming out of his ears and old customers were still coming back. A review has recently been written by a secret shopper. A raving review with high compliments aplenty and one half soaked negative… and only a gesture im sure to try to level the review out. The music was slightly too loud… but the reviwer admits they were sat under a speaker.
In my opinion if thats the worst thing they can say… they are not doing bad… in Gareths opinion… it’s GOT to be better!
Now he employs someone to do the leafleting and he has regular adverts in the local newspapers. Advertising has definitely proven key.
