Lynton and Barnstaple - Operations and Development

That has been my concern all along with OSHI

 

We're all on a fixed income these days.

 

Personally I think a lot of heritage railways are going to find it hard in the next few years and I won't be surprised if one or two of them called it a day or may be not open as may days as they have been.

 

There was an article about this in last months steam railway about how railways are looking to cut services by up to half and how next year's GDSF has already been cancelled and that attracts thousands, the L&B today talked about how they were experimenting with streamlining some runs to reduce costs and create more efficient running, it would seem next year will see a whole new ball game for many businesses

 

I live in a village of about 1000 people. My local is struggling to survive and on some days is only open for a couple of hours. However, two and a half miles away on a B road in the middle of nowhere is another pub which is thriving. In fact, they used to close on Mondays but have recently now started to open seven days a week from 11.00 serving all day. Why is it a success? I'm not sure but the staff are good and friendly and the offering is not expensive. The most expensive main course is a 10oz sirloin steak at £18.50 and sweets are £5.95. The place is generally full at lunchtimes and evenings and booking is almost essential.
Totally off topic to the L&B I admit but it's relative to the OSHI and shows that, if you get the offering right, people will still come, even when the pub is in the middle of nowhere.

 

Hi Steve.

I total agree with you, when I used to work at Leighton Buzzard after the working day we all ended up at a Pub up the A5 away from Buzzard itself, the food and drinks where fantastic and the potions where just out of this world.

Sadly something happen to the owners and one night we went to go to it we found it shut a few weeks later we heard that the pub had burnt down, as far as I know the site is now a MacDonald's drive through. The point is that if yo get the food and drink right you also have good staff you are half way there, the problem for the OSHI is that it currently it does not have a very good rating on places like tripadvisor, only by some new management and a total overhaul of the staffs attitude can you start to improve it, it is not going to happen overnight and it is going to take a lot of hard work to turn it around, but it is possible I would give it three years to earn a five star rating on something like trip advisor.

That said I do wish it well but at this state of the Countries Finances don't expect to get anything back from it for now. Not even a free meal or a share holders discount it simply can't afford it yet.

 

You literally said it does put pressure on the trust, in your previous message as below.
Make your mind up.

 

Given attracting punters is of general relevance across the 'leisure sector', I'd enquire as to how both the setting, offerings and and online presence of you two pubs compare. Presumably, in (or remote from) small settlements, folks will be electing to out of their way to visit, likely travelling some distance in the process, so there must be something which marks out your 'Pub B'.

 

The problem in a number of cases is that the pub is owned by a chain and let to a landlord to operate. Some of the chains have quite restrictive leases and have continued to raise rents despite the obvious downturn in trade over the covid period. Operators struggling with increased rent as well as escalating power and other costs are often finding themselves in a cleft stick where increasing the prices will cause a loss of trade, not increasing them will mean a trading loss : hardly surprising that pubs are closing. ( And that is without taking into account those properties where the building owners are only too happy to have the business closed as the site can be profitably developed into something else.)
The situation is easier where the premises and business are owned by the operator, particularly if borrowings are fairly low and not overly affected by increased interest rates.

 

Error - duplicated message

 

And? No one is competing with each other, but it is a fact of life that it is a perceived view on how you take this. If Exmoor Associates has a good time and buys some land all is well and good, as it is one bit less we have to worry about.

The fact of the matter is that some will see that as a failure by the Trust, which is wrong, just because the Trust hasn't done the same does not mean they are sitting on there hands and doing nothing, yet so many people forget that they do have the Parracombe planning to deal with.

If we get it, all well and good. But if we don't, then I guess the membership will have the right to express a view and will want to find out what went wrong and why.

The fact that we are even having this discussion tells me a great deal about everyone, in that people are genuinely interested in the L&BR and they want to see it become a great little railway. My point is this, if you should forget your membership and don't keep them informed then of course you will get speculation as to what is really going on.

My point is very simple in a world of technology it is so important to get you message across as to what is happening, because if you leave it, a hole will appear and people will fill that hole or vacuum with speculation.

I understand that there are certain things which you can't not put up on a forum like this, but at the same time you need to get to grips with it and use it to your advantage that is the basic message about social media is it not?

 

Steve, I think you have hit the nail on the head here. If the OSHI is to be a success it must have friendly, welcoming staff in a clean, bright and interesting interior. Opening hours must be well-known and adhered to. The beer and cider must be top-notch with good local(-ish) offerings such as Exmoor Ales or Exeter Brewery Ales (Avocet Ale for instance). The food must be prepared in-house with a good, but not necessarily wide, selection at an attractive price. Sunday roasts are always an attraction and will help to build clientele. I imagine that the local CAMRA branch would be more than happy to offer its suggestions and a visit to The Beer Engine at Newton St. Cyres (adjoining the station) would be profitable in firming ideas . Let's hope that, if the purchase eventuates, the L&BR Trust can make the OSHI an attractive venue in its own right, as is the Woody Bay Tearooms.

 

Whilst the OSHI might be owned by the Bcplc outright I wouldn't say the borrowings are fairly low, the share offer suggested a £1 million bank loan although I understand this could be a little lower, that's still a sizable monthly repayment, it would not be unreasonable to expect the running costs to be in excess of 2k per day if the pub is to be open to attract maximum custom, that's a lot of beer and food to shift

 

Dear Meatman (Mark is it?), A £1 million bank loan at 7% equates to £70,000 pa interest repayments or roughly £200 pd interest. Repaying £2000 pd would see the total loan bill at £1.7 million repaid in 850 days, or 2.3 years, as a maximum. If £300 pd (each day) were repaid it would take 5667 d or 15.5 years. I am wondering if you meant £2000 pw (per week)? I am happy if someone wants to question these figures too!

 

I have experience much the same. In addition to the pub about which I wrote previously (large village on busy road) I frequent another one about 4 miles away in a tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere. Until recently it was open every day, did good food with a varied menu and was always busy. Staff were friendly and helpful and the chef was always willing to cook something not actually on the menu as long as he had the ingredients to hand. Sadly they changed hands recently - shut on Mondays now, reduced the scope of the menu, increased the prices, no flexibility for off-menu choices, inexperienced new staff and poor reviews from many long-standing regulars. They advertise an e-mail address for enquiries/bookings, but never respond :-(

 

i may not have made myself clear, by running costs per day that was staff for 2 x 8 hour shifts ,based on 8 service/bar/general staff at £11.00 ph and 2 chefs at £15.00 ph per shift, that works out at £1888.00 per day, then there's a manager, council rates ect, incidentally a quick search for a £1mill REPAYMENT mortgage at 5.65% over 25 yrs =£1437.00 per week or £205.00 per day and one over 30 yrs at 5.39% = £1294.00 per week or £184.00 per day. Obviously an INTEREST only mortgage would be less

 

I agree the old management’s style sounds much better from a customer perspective but what made them want to sell up? If their costs, to provide that level of service, were too high is it not impossible that the new owners, reducing staff costs by opening only at the busy times (on that busy road), are making more profit?

Clearly if the OSHI is purchased the highest priorities for the new owners must be recruiting an experienced pub manager and getting advice from people (not necessarily the manager) with commercial expertise in this sector to figure out the right strategy for this pub, at this location, at this time. That might mean carrying on the business much as it is now, or having to change with the times.

 

Apparently - according to the landlady - simply the fact that they had been doing it for XX years and had decided it was time to take a l-o-n-g break before maybe venturing into something different.

 

I understood that her and her husband wanted to retire.

 

Are we talking about the same pub? I was talking about one of my 'locals', not the OSHI