Brighter

There are signs of hope at last at the Rising Sun for licensee Catherine Chauvet, following the nadir last month when the management couple were made redundant.

Optimism about the immediate future is also growing, thanks to the redecoration of the outside of the pub and work on the garden. Both developments should help attract more customers as the nights grow longer and the weather gets warmer.

The tide is turning in Catherine Chauvet's favour at the Rising Sun, with takings in the past four weeks jumping 15%, beating all monthly records since the Christmas holidays. "This has been our best month yet," says Chauvet.

With so many factors that could have made the difference - better weather, local people becoming aware of changes at the pub and so on - Chauvet says it is difficult to be certain what was the key.

The biggest obvious change of the past weeks has been Chauvet's greater involvement with the day-to-day aspects of the business since the management couple left. "When the proprietor of a business is there, you expect to get a higher spend per head by providing that little bit extra," she explains.

With a pub like the Rising Sun, the licensee is the linchpin of the operation. Her character and personality will make the business succeed or fail. Chauvet admits that she failed to spend enough time at the pub in the early months, instead dividing her time between it and her other pub, the Westbury Inn, at Westbury-sub-Mendip.

But when the management couple were made redundant it forced Chauvet to get closer to the business and, in turn, understand exactly what her customers want.

While a pub business is growing, the licensee has to work extra hard to convince customers that they are getting good value as there is not the reassuring presence of lots of other customers - there is no better advert for a pub than seeing it packed full of people.

At times during the slump in trade, Chauvet might have wondered whether the Rising Sun would ever become a food-led operation. But she had already built up a successful business at the Westbury Inn and knew she could repeat it.

Turning a pub used mainly by locals for drinking into a food business is inevitably a difficult process. Some drinkers used to having the pub to themselves can resent the presence of diners, particularly if they have to give up space to the higher spending eaters if the business is to thrive.

It is unavoidable that some regulars will not accept the invasion of diners and go elsewhere - as the Rising Sun's drinks takings show. In the past four weeks, the wet sales total has dropped to £2,682 from the previous four weeks' £2,870.

But the figures for food sales show just what Chauvet has achieved since taking direct control. During the past four weeks, takings from food have shot up nearly 50% from £2,020 for the previous four weeks to £2,957.

A successful Mothers' Day promotion provided a boost to the takings in the most recent four weeks but, equally, 10 days of redecoration work over the same period cost some food sales.

Despite the short-term damage that the face-lift of the pub's exterior has done - paint smells, no pub signs and works vans - it will be a vital factor in the pub's future success. "The pub is on a busy road and now nobody can drive past without it catching their eye," says Chauvet.

The work was paid for by Chauvet's brewer landlord Gibbs Mew. It had wanted a traditional colour scheme but Chauvet persuaded the chief surveyor to paint the walls daffodil yellow and the woodwork chocolate brown.

The overall impact of the redecoration has been helped by Chauvet putting up hanging baskets and tidying up the beer garden. A gardener has been hired to look after the flower beds at £5.25 an hour. His first bill, for a substantial amount of work, ran to £45.

Finishing touches include freshly painted and reworded signs that read: "Rising Sun. Good food and cask conditioned ales." Chauvet has put off landscaping the beer garden until Gibbs Mew agrees to extend the car park.

The future now hinges on continuing to encourage diners. Chauvet doubts there will ever be such a dramatic surge in takings but will be happy with a steady climb.

At the Westbury Inn it took nine months for trade to build to an acceptable level. The higher rent at the Rising Sun means weekly turnover must be at least £1,500 for the pub to be viable.

In a small way, Caterer is helping to bring people to the pub. A couple from Leicester visited after reading the articles, and the manager of a nearby pizza restaurant pops in for a bite. But Chauvet has also been told by loyal regulars that the articles have stirred up some bad feeling among local businesses.

In the long-run, such tactics will not determine whether Chauvet makes a success of the Rising Sun. She is making such significant changes to the pub that it would be impossible to keep everyone happy. What matters is whether Chauvet wins over more custom than is put off.

This past month provided her with the first signs that she can fulfil her vision. "There is light at the end of the tunnel at last," she says. "We're building up a regular crowd and we've got couples coming in to eat." n

NEXT visit to The Rising Sun: 1 June