A double first
Two AA rosettes. Two, not one as expected, have been claimed by head chef Colin Layfield and the team at 153 Restaurant & Bar. This coup, reinforced by an extra 2% on the hotel's overall rating, has seen emotions at Coventry's Hylands Hotel run high.
"I'd like to get another rosette next year," says Layfield, who, despite claiming to be surprised at getting two in one go, is now more fired up than ever.
"It's really good going in four months. It has proved that producing good quality food is important and has put 153 on the map," he says, pointing out that there is only one other restaurant in Coventry with two AA rosettes.
Euphoria on general manager Lynne Kennedy's side is tempered by realism, however. The 70-seat restaurant is still not busy enough. Attempts to draw in high-spending professional couples and corporate business is taking time. The profit-and-loss account from when 153 opened in April to the end of July testifies to this, recording a loss of £5,000.
Although she is appalled at the figure, Kennedy believes the worst is over. "Payroll costs were too high when we started," she explains. "These have now settled down. We initially had a lot of staff training and we were overstaffed."
Now she can predict demand. Where there used to be three waiters on Saturday lunchtimes, for instance, experience has shown that there is no need for more than one bar waiter and one waiter.
There is no escaping from the fact that business is sluggish, however. August's F&B takings fell £33,890 short of the target to £22,670, although the fact it was so grim can probably be explained by holidays and the loss of old customers.
Winning over this new, stylish market is proving tough. Just how tough is evident at Sunday lunchtimes, which are down to 35-40 covers, whereas in the Carvery's heyday, Sunday lunch attracted enough families and older people to almost fill the old 90-seat restaurant.
As both Kennedy and Layfield repeat time and time again, however, they will not compromise their aim to bring some of the capital's flair into the Midlands.
Layfield, in particular, who worked under Bruno Loubet at L'Odéon in London, wants his dream of creating a destination restaurant for the hotel fulfilled. He's undaunted when previously regular customers walk out when they see the higher prices or the innovative menu. In fact, bolstered by the AA's recognition, he vows his autumn menu will be even more adventurous.
Planned dishes include roast medallions of venison, crispy celeriac, quince purée and liquorice sauce (£14.50); and braised veal knuckle on wilted pak choi with wild mushroom and shallot sauce (£14.50).
The two rosettes have fuelled sales and marketing manager Barbara Swan's task of selling 153. The accolade is being incorporated in 5,000 letters being sent out to an identified target market - older married couples with children, unmarried couples and single professionals within a 20-minute drive.
The blitz is on the back of results from marketing advisory service CACI, which based its findings on the prevalent guest type at 153. The cost of the research was £1,260 and Total Print Solutions will mail each 5,000-letter batch for £1,411. The aim is to send more batches throughout the year to whet appetites steadily.
The rosettes will also get pride of place on Swan's redesigned Business Express scheme letter, which goes out to local firms. The aim was to encourage busy professionals to tick menu options and fax the letter back so their order would be ready when they arrived. Although her first pitch brought office workers in - as shown in the guest comment forms - nobody had used the fax because they claimed the letter wasn't clear. This has been rectified.
One unexpected success is 153's attraction to conference delegates, who have begun to eat in the restaurant rather than having a cold buffet in the conference suite. About 70 delegates ate at 153 after a conference for a pharmaceutical business, with 50 covers served a few days later on the back of a separate event. Conferences have been booked for nearly every day this month in all three suites, and are expected to bring in £8,500.
Despite the challenge on her home turf, Swan has, since the end of August, been splitting her time between Coventry and London where she is helping the sales teams at the Hylands' sister hotels, Richmond Hill and Richmond Gate. "It's not putting a strain on me yet," she says.
The trio's owner, Securicor Group, has still got the hotels on the market. The Hylands is for sale separately, at £1.75m, but although a management buy-out has been mooted to keep all three together, uncertainty hangs heavy.
As a result, Kennedy's mood regarding the impending sale has done an about-turn. She's no longer banking on it taking time, instead she's hoping it hurries up: "Staff are getting itchy feet; it's getting to people now," she explains.
But, as always, Kennedy is upbeat. August's poor performance is behind her and September, she says, is looking good.
Next visit to the Hylands Hotel is on 23 October
