Shipshape in Bristol
If a week is a long time in politics, surviving five years in the precarious restaurant world must be seen as a triumph. And it is a feat John and Jo Raines have achieved with ease. Just two weeks ago, the couple celebrated their fifth anniversary at the Red Snapper restaurant in Bristol - their first culinary venture, which was prompted by John missing out on the head chef's position at Bristol's Hotel du Vin & Bistro.
The Raines, who before opening the Red Snapper ran the restaurant side of the Cutty Sark Tavern in Greenwich, have seen many areas of growth since 1995.
Firstly, trade has increased so much that they are turning tables at weekends to accommodate extra customers. Secondly, they have watched Bristol's restaurant scene explode, and Jo says it was lucky they opened when they did: "If we had waited another 18 months, I think we would have found it very difficult." Thirdly, the Raines' family has grown. Daughter Lois was born two years ago - a sister for six-year-old Nina.
But one area that has seen no expansion is the 35-seat restaurant itself, and this is a sore point with the Raines. At the opening, after an investment of £210,000, John said: "We wanted to start with something we could manage with minimum staff and establish a good reputation for food rather than open a big restaurant."
That was fine when covers averaged 35 at weekends, with a spend of £18 per head with drink. But since then, the restaurant has been awarded two AA rosettes (although one was lost three years ago) and gained a reputation for excellent food. Average spend has risen to £28 with drink, and Jo consistently turns away about 40 people on weekend nights.
When the next-door 36-seat Italian restaurant came up for sale three months ago, it seemed the perfect opportunity for the Red Snapper to expand. Acquiring the premises would have meant creating one large eaterie which would be totally refurbished (the Red Snapper still sports its original rich red and terracotta colour scheme). But three weeks ago, the deal fell through. "Not getting next door was a step back," says Jo, but she adds that the search is still on for other premises.
John has achieved his aim of taking on another full-time chef - Will Holland, who had worked at the restaurant three years ago while at catering college, and returned three months ago as sous chef. Within a few weeks of joining the Red Snapper, Holland won the Bristol Restaurant Association's Sous Chef of the Year award.
He and John work together on the daily-changing menu. Five years ago it had five mains and desserts in Mediterranean/British style. That has developed into eight mains, five of them fish, two meat and one vegetarian.
"Now we have established ourselves, people trust what we do and are more prepared to experiment with fish," says John, who likes to offer more unusual varieties such as gurnard, skate and diver-caught sole.
An area the Raines particularly wanted to target on opening was lunchtime trade, which is generally regarded as hard to tap into. They started in 1995 with a three-course lunch for £7.50, and now offer one course for £8.50, two courses for £10.50 and three for £14. Lunchtime turnover averages £1,000 a week.
No matter what the future holds, the couple say they have succeeded in their main task - "to make the Red Snapper stand apart in terms of style of cooking".
