Out, damp spot
With the restaurant finally open, Ian Mclelland is learning to cope with the everyday distractions of running his own business. Andrew Davies reports.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Ian Mclelland, chef-proprietor of Hogarth's restaurant in the suburbs of Bournemouth, is feeling tired after getting up for a 6am interview on BBC Radio Solent. It seems they're following his new business through its first six months. Sounds familiar…
Mclelland, however, has no objections to the early rise. After months of planning, he's finally the owner of his own restaurant so he wants all the exposure he can get - a couple of hours' less sleep is an acceptable price to pay.
It hasn't been easy. Back in September, Mclelland was aiming for a 1 October opening, but a delay on the part of the solicitors meant they finally exchanged the property on Tuesday 22 October.
The following night, Mclelland was in the kitchen cooking. "That was horrible," he laughs. "I wanted a few days to get ready, but there were bookings, so I didn't really have a choice. Fortunately, it wasn't too busy, but we did a few tables every night and we were full on the Saturday."
The previous owner's main income came from the large and reliable number of regulars he'd built up over the 12 years he was there. As Mclelland has hit the ground running, what has been their reaction to the new management? "There's two sets of regulars," he says, grinning, "the ones who hate it and those who are willing to try it."
He adds: "We've lost maybe five or six people who came every week. But for every one person who's moaned, I've had three who've said they enjoyed it and will definitely be back. So it's exactly what I expected."
The loss of some regulars hasn't affected the business too drastically, though. In the first 10 days of trading, the average spend was £32 off the set-price menu of £21.50, while turnover was £2,500. A confident Mclelland is estimating a first-month turnover of £10,000-£12,500.
He has also managed to reduce the amount of money he has had to borrow to get the restaurant open. His original business plan saw a bank loan of £35,000, which he has managed to reduce to £28,000.
As with any new business of this size, there have been a lot of unexpected teething problems that only seem to show up once the contracts are signed.
An attempted replastering to cover up the Artex walls was the first. It was discovered, after work had begun, that one corner in the main front room is damp, so the plaster still hadn't dried after a week. There's a new wooden floor going in to replace a musty carpet that hadn't been dried properly after a flood a year ago. And it's best not to mention the hot water problems, dodgy doors, the sinks, and uncooperative VAT men.
Luckily, Mclelland has enough of a happy-go-lucky disposition still to know that he has made the right move. He says: "I'm just really tired at the moment. It's very challenging, and every day the list of things to do is bigger than it was the day before. But it's as enjoyable as I thought it would be."
The only question left to ask is whether that plaster will be dry by Christmas…
Next visit to Hogarth's: 10 January
The story so far
Canadian chef Ian Mclelland, 28, is realising his dream of owning and running his own restaurant, the 30-seat Hogarth's, in the Ferndown area of Bournemouth. Under the same ownership for the previous 12 years, the restaurant had built up a solid base of regular customers, and Mclelland was keen to take it over as a going concern. There are alterations that need to made, however, if he's to achieve his goal of a Michelin star…
Hogarth's
173A New Road, West Parley, Bournemouth, Dorset
Tel: 01202 574769
Owner/chef: Ian Mclelland
Opened: 22 October
Average spend: £32
First 10 days' turnover: £2,500
