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Is this the future for restaurants? The Paddock pub in Portlethen does away with side salad to cut menu prices by 10%

The Paddock owner John Burgess stand behind his bar with staff member Heather Clark. The publican has reduced his menu prices.
The Paddock owner John Burgess stand behind his bar with staff member Heather Clark. The publican has reduced his menu prices.

John Burgess thinks he has found the answer to the cost-of-living crisis – no more side salad.

Ok, it might not be that simple. With inflation set to go even higher over the winter, John is aware the country faces tough times.

But as the owner of The Paddock, a community-minded local pub in Portlethen, the 71-year-old does believe he has found a way to help his customers.

At the same time, he hopes he can help himself.

John Burgess has a plan to get through the winter.

John has spent the past few weeks monitoring the leftovers from his pub lunch and dinner menu.

The analysis lead to a number of cuts that has allowed the publican to drop his food prices.

Gone are a few of the less popular dishes. Also off the table are the extras John decided just weren’t pulling their weight. Hence the demise of the salad.

“It doesn’t cost a lot but half of the time you don’t bother eating it,” John says of side salad. “It just goes in the bin.”

Soup for £3.80 and other reductions on The Paddock menu

John’s new streamlined menu is about 10% cheaper than his previous one. Other dishes have deeper cuts.

For example, the soup that previously cost £4.80 is now £3.80, and more expensive meals such as fish and chips are down by 15%.

The new menu is about 10% cheaper on average than before.

And he has managed the price cuts without compromising on volume – the publican says his meals are as big as ever.

The only loss, he says, are the things people didn’t want anyway.

“It’s the little things,” he explains. “We can cut back here and there and see if we can get more people in. Keep the quality the same and see how it goes.”

John now believes other restaurants will follow in his footsteps.

And his plan to reduce his margins while at the same time upping turnover could offer a way out of the current malaise of rising costs and falling footfall.

“You want to carry as low a stock as you can and you still want to price food,” says John, who has owned The Paddock for eight years. “The menu might have less choice but it’ll be easier to produce.”

How has the cost-of-living crisis affected the pub and restaurant trade?

There is no doubt that restaurant and pub costs are up.

At The Paddock, John’s frying oil costs are double what they were before the pandemic and the brewers he buys his beer from have twice raised their prices this year.

Meanwhile, despite an early post-lockdown bounce, takings are now down about 25% on what would be termed usual.

John has seen his costs rise, but is optimistic for the future.

“If the footfall stays as it is we will get through [the winter], but if people stop using the facilities, then there will be a lot of places that close their doors,” John says.

So far, John’s streamlining has been a success.

“I’ve seen a lot of new faces come in,” says John. “It does look like it’s working.”

The proof is in the pudding. Salad-free, of course.

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