Changing faces
Following Ian Shipman's departure from the Crown, Robert Banks has returned to take control and is making quite a few changes. Helen Adkins reports.
After the uncertainty of the last few months Robert Banks is relieved to be back in the driving seat of the Crown at Iverley. Following Ian Shipman's departure two weeks ago, he now faces the challenge of reducing the high food and wage costs, running the restaurant on a day-to-day basis and raising staff morale.
"Morale was bad because nobody was at the helm," he says. "I've introduced new systems and a hands-on approach which is very important in a restaurant. The staff feel more secure now."
When Banks took over the restaurant, he soon discovered it was seriously overstaffed, with wage costs for February at £3,400 above the norm. He has now introduced a simpler system that means his 18 staff are used more efficiently and the kitchen works better. One person takes the orders, instead of the previous five, which means the kitchen can keep track of its output more easily.
In addition, each of the front of house staff is now expected to look after 20 clients. "It was quite an eye-opener to see how the restaurant had been set up," Banks says. "It was like a holiday camp for the management. You expect one waitress to be able to serve more than 10 people in a night."
Banks is also confident that reduced food costs can be achieved when the new menu is introduced. He has decided to scrap the previous lunch, dinner, tapas and sandwich menus, which Shipman had introduced, in favour of just one. This will help towards reducing the previously high food costs and will simplify the operation.
The new menu has nine starters, eight intermediate courses such as salads, pasta and vegetarian dishes, and nine mains, which can be ordered to make a light lunch or three-course evening meal. Dishes will be less specialised and will include favourites such as Caesar salad or seafood linguine. "I'm going for a more general market and I want to give our customers some sort of continuity," Banks says.
"The menu was being changed too much, on a weekly basis sometimes. I was being told that we were getting the same people coming in and they wanted different things, but they don't. I've shown the new menu to some of our regulars and they liked the look of it. The previous menu was too specialised."
Banks brought in his head chef, Trevor Hancock, from his event catering company Food Experience² to help advise on the menu and costs. "We sat down together and costed the new menu accurately. Because it runs for three months the food and purchasing can be controlled a lot better. I'm confident it can remain at 30%," he says.
With the new systems in place, Banks says he is already beginning to see the results. "Things are definitely looking up," he says. "Staff morale is better, food costs are back down to 30% and covers are going up. Last Wednesday night, with eight tables booked, the restaurant got 24 walk-ins. That's not bad for a weekday."
The Crown at Iverley
Norton Road, Iverley, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 2RX
Tel: 01562 883004
Parent company: Food Experience²
Managing director: Robert Banks
Lease price: £60,000
Investment: £300,000
Annual rent: £16,500
Restaurant manager: Robert Banks
Assistant restaurant manager: Karen Good
Head chef: Richard Glaze
Consultant chef: Trevor Hancock
Seats: 60
Average spend: £19
Covers: February - 23 lunchtimes; 60 Friday and Saturday evenings
Staff: 18, full- and part-time
Turnover for February: £31,000
The story so far
Following the resignation of the Crown's manager Ian Shipman and the head chef, director Robert Banks has decided to run the restaurant himself to get the business running at a profit. With a new chef in the kitchen and a new menu about to be introduced, Banks is confident the previously high food costs can be brought under control.
