What is Wrong with this Pub?

[old man emu]

I'd be looking for a country pub within two hours' drive of Melbourne in a town that had some form of attraction or access to an outdoors activity. What you should cater for is the short-stay, get away from it all experience.

[spacesailor]

They will need ' someone ' to run a  " pub " on Mars soon .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

2 hours ago, old man emu said:

I'd be looking for a country pub within two hours' drive of Melbourne in a town that had some form of attraction or access to an outdoors activity. What you should cater for is the short-stay, get away from it all experience.

I am sure people don't want to drive as far these days as we used to, but the niche I am targeting is probably not so concerned about a 2 or 3 hour drive.

 

For me, the business is more accomodation, with some food and drink, as well as integrated activities.

[old man emu]

6 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

the niche I am targeting is probably not so concerned about a 2 or 3 hour drive.

You have forgotten what it is like to be driving more than two hours. Even the driver starts asking, 'are we there yet?'. Why do you thing that the road safety people tell us to take a break every two hours? People looking for a a couple of days away from the turmoil of the city want to get to their destination to enjoy it. They don't enjoy driving to it. The only people I know of who will go the extra hour or so are 4WD people who have to go that far to get to a good location for that activity. But they also carry camping gear and their tucker, so they don't need what you envisage to establish.

[Marty_d]

7 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

I am sure people don't want to drive as far these days as we used to, but the niche I am targeting is probably not so concerned about a 2 or 3 hour drive.

 

For me, the business is more accomodation, with some food and drink, as well as integrated activities.

"Niche" and "integrated activities" huh?

Would your target clientele be high court judges and senior conservatives??  😜

[spacesailor]

 " highcourt judges " ,

Already catered for . 

A  ( drought stricken ) SouthAustralian cattle/sheep station , has reimaged itself as a up market ' conference facility ' .

With it's ' high-end ' accommodation & " chef " cooked meals . It has it's own landing field. 

Has an ' overland 4X4 trail ' , to Pichi Richi railway station,  tourist attraction. Quorn SA .

Two private helicopters, came in while our 80 vehicle " group camped " there .

spacesailor

 

 

Edited January 21 by spacesailor
Tidied up

[facthunter]

Too many little black flies last time I was there.  80 vehicle GROUP??  Were you touring or "Invading"?  Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

LOL, same at a campsite up the road from me, convoys of either 4wd's or motorbikes, kicking up unwanted dust. It is however, a barometer of how the economy is going. Before Covid, lots of noisy camper traffic, but now, hardly any, money is tight I imagine, keeps the dust down though.

[spacesailor]

The " Jackaroo club Australia " .

Lots of " Holden Jack's " in Australia. 

Never sold mine , gave it to a grandson,  who ( many years later ) retired it to an ' olive farm ' ,

were it got it's first dinge . But still runs effortlessly .  I have it's brand new front bumper hanging in my garage. 

As I had a ' roobar fitted. 

spacesailor 

[facthunter]

Too Gutless to PULL anything.. Nev

[spacesailor]

Thar same , Isuzu  motor is flying  in a scaled spitfire. 

spacesailor 

[facthunter]

it's too small.. It's petrol isn't it.?   Nev

[red750]

Once again, Spacey's led us off the beaten path and up a deadend road.

[spacesailor]

Just answered a comment! .

" too gutless too pull anything" .

but it was really good in a spitfire. 

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

The Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper) came in two main  engine variants.. From memory it was a 3l turbo diesel and a 3.2lt v6 petrol. I had a 1996 or 1999 3.2l petrol for a couple of years.. 

 

And it was a very good car and moderately capable 4x4. It was an auto and it could haul a load and tow capable.

 

The diesels, I believe we're not great at all.. but I would rank the petrol version I had as one of the better cars I have owned for its tome and money. Only sold it because I moved back to the UK

Edited January 21 by Jerry_Atrick

[facthunter]

The ones I'm speaking of had smaller motors. .   Nev

[spacesailor]

The last ' variant ' was 3.5 Litre V6 petrol .

it was the 3.2 in the "spitfire " ( av referance ) .

 

spaacesailor

 

[facthunter]

I'd gathered that. I've seen a V6 Honda used too.Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

OK.. back to pubs.. The pub in our village is community owned, and I am a shareholder. It doesn't mean much.. we kicked in a few £, and there is no disbursments of profits, etc.

 

I intend to go to the AGM this year and table a few questions, because we are now in the red, and from the accounts just supplied, we have enough cash until about September, unless things turn around.

 

I want to table questions - the accounts are very vague and do not provide the ability to quantify the factors/issues that the chairman's report speaks to.

 

Also, I want to tally anecdotal issues, such as this eve, where the young bar stuff ushered us out before normal closing so they could go to the town's nightclub.  Which pisses off punters and they head to other pubs.

 

I am going to research the law tomorrow, but assuming I can ask pertinent questiond of the current committee (which is, for all intents and purposes, the board), what is the best way  to question them. The main questions are:

• The Profit and Loss accounts contain two expenses: Cost of Goods and general admin; however, the committee chair's report speaks to energy costs, labour issues, etc. Can you pls break down the accounts so we can see what the individual costs are?
• There has been a reproted reduction of footfall- what does that mean? Are there less customers (or less frequenting by customers), or simply falling revenue?
• What is the average sales per customer (or set of customers in the case of dinners, etc).. How has this changed YoY?
• There have been numeroud anecdotal complaints of the number of staff (we have 2 managers for a small community pub) and the efficiency/efficacy of the staff, including assertions that the staff do not act in the best interest of the local communoty, especially towards closing time of the pub?
• Has the board considered different strategies to appeal to customers to increase footfall and average sales per customer? What are they?

 

Would appreciate an honest appraisal of these.. I know I can speak less direct than I shoud.. so don't hold back. A pub's livelihood is on the balance.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

Get Sybil, Basil's wife on to it.

[old man emu]

2 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Would appreciate an honest appraisal of these

What your questions indicate are the symptoms of poor management. The first thing I would look at is the constitution, or similar legal document, that sets out how the organisation is going to be managed. If there is one, is it being followed? Who has the authority to direct the operations - not the employed managers. Who bears responsibility for the operations an a committee level? Is there a Treasurer to oversee the finances. Is there an independent auditor to see that financial records are in order? The answers to these questions, most probably is "Yes", but you've got to ask them before you go into detailed questioning.

 

I see nothing amiss in the questions you have identified, but I would fact-check the information that has given rise to the questions. Anecdotal material is to easily dismissed. Get information on paper because such information is your ammunition.

[onetrack]

The greatest problem in places such as pubs, that handle large levels of cash, is cash pilfering by staff. It's something that must have good systems in place, to cut down on it. Trustworthiness of staff is crucial.

Keeping customers coming back to cafes, pubs, and restaurants is a subtle art, and making the customer feel valued, is a big part of it. Welcoming features and welcoming staff are vitally important.

 

Surly staff and indifferent treatment of customers genuine complaints is a good way to drive people away. Foot traffic can be governed by many factors, a big business or large employer nearby that moves out can be disastrous for local small service providers.

 

A relative owned a cafe in a small shopping centre, but a major bank that was an "anchor tenant" in the shopping centre moved out, and their location stayed empty, and the foot traffic to the cafe more than halved after the bank moved out, and this destroyed his cafe business. He had to sell up and move out, and lost much goodwill value that he paid for, when he bought in.