In our next Q&A, Mark Teed shares some fascinating insights into his role as food strategy & implementation manager at Star Pubs & Bars. He’ll be taking part in the Menu Innovation for Multi-Site Pubs panel, on opening day (25 March), in our new Pub & Bar Keynote Theatre.
“Every time someone chooses to go out for a drink or a bite to eat, the options of where to go are endless. In a crowded market, standing out from the crowd and offering customers a unique experience will be the key to success in 2020.”
What restaurant & pub operators do you particularly admire and why?
Apart from Star Pubs & Bars, I’m a big fan of the ETM group; they’re a pioneering company who operate a variety of pubs and bars in prime locations. Everything is done to a high standard and the food and the service are great. Where they brew their own, I get a chance to try some innovative beers and where they do sport, it’s done really well. I’m also a huge fan of wagamama with their innovative, fresh and consistent offer and I’m really impressed how this offer works in multiple channels.
What do you think is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
Being able to evolve and adapt quickly and having a well-trained, motivated team that can deliver the offer consistently, day in and day out. Being able to understand what digital can do for a business and using it to maximum effect. I think it’s also important for operators to constantly challenge themselves and their teams to make sure what they are doing is the best and to identify any room for improvement.
Focusing specifically on food and drink trends, what products/ingredients do you think will be big (or even bigger) in 2020?
Sustainability will have a major impact on the products and ingredients operators choose. The use of food that would otherwise have gone to landfill and produce with low food miles will be big, and there’ll be lots of shouting about it. Sustainability will also impact on menu content. Customers are still eating red meat but are more frequently choosing to have meat free days and are looking for meat free options to balance their diets. So, meat substitutes will be big in 2020. We’ll see things like Banana Blossom make their way onto mainstream menus and vegetables being added into meat products, both to enhance taste and texture and cut C02 emissions.
What do you see as the key casual dining industry trends for 2020?
More experimental dining. Every time someone chooses to go out for a drink or a bite to eat, the options of where to go are endless. In a crowded market, standing out from the crowd and offering customers a unique experience will be the key, more than ever, to success in 2020.
The rise of food delivery: What do you think are the pros and cons for 1) your business and 2) the casual dining sector as a whole?
Many of a pub’s overheads are fixed, where the location of their business is right for it, delivery gives our licensees the opportunity to open up another income stream and sweat their asset.
With regards to the casual dining sector, I probably wouldn’t open up a new concept that didn’t have the opportunity to offer delivery as an option, as well as having products on the menu that were deliverable without compromising on quality.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
I’m really lucky that I work for a business that encourages me to experiment and take calculated risks in order to improve the customer experience. This allows me to think outside of the box and try new things and I believe our offer is better because of this.
And the most challenging?
Retaining good people. However, it’s always satisfying to see colleagues progress, even if it means losing a strong member of the team.
Can you give us an example of what your business is doing to be even more sustainable?
We are currently looking to make sure that all of the seafood that we have on our managed operator menu comes from MSC certified fisheries. We are also just about to start trialling induction equipment in our kitchens, with a view to reducing carbon emissions. I’m starting to see a few of our leased and tenanted pubs sign up to the Carbon Free Dining initiative and we will also be looking to remove single serve sauce sachets from our managed operator pubs in 2020.
Describe the Casual Dining trade show in 3 words:
Innovative, relevant and unique.
How important is the Casual Dining show to the casual dining sector?
It’s important to take time out from the day job every now and again and get out and network with others in the industry. The Casual Dining show provides the perfect opportunity to do this. It showcases and celebrates success, plus everything is 100% relevant to the sector we work in.
Can you tell us a bit about your much-anticipated session at Casual Dining 2020?
Within our roles as leaders of big food businesses, we have access to lots of data and market reports. It’s our job to narrow down what is relevant for pubs and then see how we can apply that to everything we do. I’m looking forward to sharing and discussing some of this insight at the show.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t always sit in the same chair in your restaurant or pub, or park your car in the same space, as you’ll only ever see your business from one angle and will never get a view of it from the other tables and spaces that your customers use.
Also, a saying that I picked up in my early days in restaurants and still use to this day: “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late and to be late is unacceptable.”
See Mark at Casual Dining 2020
Menu Innovation for Multi-Site Pubs: 3.30pm in The Pub & Bar Keynote Theatre on Wednesday 25 March.
Featuring:
- Mark Teed, Food Strategy & Implementation Manager, Star Pubs & Bars
- Ross Pike, Chef Director, Oakman Inns & Restaurants
- Jay Morjaria, Chef & Food Consultant (session chair)
Join some of the leading executive chefs and food developers from the most popular pub operators, as they examine the challenges and successes they often face when trying to keep their menus innovative and profitable in 2020 and beyond.
