Worth the candle
The candles burning every evening at the Appletree Country Inn have made it especially appealing to those looking for a romantic location to celebrate Valentine's Day. And there will be a few other bonuses, too… such as special pink bread rolls. Sara Guild reports.
To celebrate the spirit of Valentine's Day, Melanie Thornton is giving a glass of Champagne to each person who has booked a table for the evening of 14 February at the Appletree Country Inn, Marton, North Yorkshire.
Thornton and her partner, chef TJ Drew, expect the pub to be full, but decided not to do a fixed-price menu for the day, instead letting people choose from the usual menu.
"Restaurateurs can use Valentine's Day as an excuse to add £10 per person to the bill and not really give the customer anything for it. I prefer to add value for the customer," says Thornton.
She believes the Appletree's candlelit ambience (there are about 100 candles alight each evening) makes it a particularly special venue and she has persuaded Drew to recreate some pink rolls he made at Christmas with beetroot and cranberry.
Business at the pub boomed during the festive season thanks in part to the Yorkshire Post‘s food critic Robert Cockcroft giving the pub a rave review a couple of weeks before Christmas, then choosing it as his most promising pub in his annual round-up the following week. December's turnover was £21,400, exceeding the boom month of August (£17,983) and the highest of any month since the pair took over last April.
The result was that Thornton had to turn away 200 people in the week before Christmas including Cockcroft's boss, who had driven up from Leeds. "There was nothing we could do, we were absolutely packed and wouldn't have taken proper care of him if we had let him in," says Thornton.
The momentum carried through Christmas and New Year and right up to the first week of January, when the pub did 269 covers with total revenue of £6,030 with 75% of that on food.
However, the pair were desperate for their planned two-week holiday. "We were working 18 hours a day and we were at each other's throats - we really needed a break. TJ thought we shouldn't close because we had the momentum going, but the fact he was thinking it when we were so tired told me we really did need that break," says Thornton.
The Appletree reopened on 23 January, and the pair believe they're still benefiting from the write-up, with lunch trade much improved. During the first week back the pub did more than 250 covers.
The publication in January of the new Michelin guide brought good news for their near neighbours, Andrew and Jacqui Pern at the Star Inn at Harome, which became only the third UK pub to receive a Michelin star. Thornton and Drew are delighted for them.
"We were so pleased for Andrew and Jacqui. Their success will be good for the whole area. We had our staff party there and it was great to show the team some of the things we aspire to," says Thornton.
That Thornton has a team is thanks to three new members of staff. Drew's sister Estelle Grout has joined as a part-time secretary, while Lynsey Coverdale is working front of house. Thornton is also pleased to have taken on Mike Handley, a former landlord who had sold his pub and was tired of managing pubs for others. Knowing Handley from her days in her old job at Tate-Smith, Thornton quickly snapped him up.
She says he's great with the older clientele, as well as having the experience to manage the bar. He's relieved Thornton of her cellar duties, something she was more than happy to hand over.
The kitchen has been less fortunate, and Drew had to let a commis chef go before Christmas. He's now looking for two chefs, hopefully with more experience.
All this is adding to the wage bill, but owner Orchard Inns is pleased with the pub's progress and has agreed to meet the extra costs. In December wages totalled £6,028 and Thornton expects this to jump by 50% with the addition of the three new staff and the two new chefs when they join.
On the subject of costs, Drew's success in losing a stone in weight by Boxing Day means Thornton has to honour her wager of new strings for his electric guitar.
Next visit: 28 March
The story so far
Melanie Thornton and chef TJ Drew have taken a much-needed two-week holiday from managing the Appletree Country Inn, Marton, North Yorkshire, after a successful Christmas. New staff have joined, making the front of house and administration work easier on Thornton.
Appletree Country Inn
Marton, North Yorkshire
Tel: 01751 431457
Web: www.appletreeinn.co.uk
Managers: Melanie Thornton and TJ Drew
Seats: 40
Financial performance (December): Food sales: £14,967 (70%)
Wet sales: £6,433 (30%)
Total food and beverage costs: £5,884
Wages: £6,028 (28% of turnover)
Covers: 1,051
Average spend per head: £25
