Truffle Hunting duo: “You never really own a pub. You’re just the custodian”

You own and run two top food-led pubs and have just helped open a third.​ What’s the secret ingredient for a great pub?

Nigel Sutcliffe:​ We have a strong idea of what we want to deliver in terms of product. But, at the same time, it’s important to remember that you never really own a pub, you’re just the custodian. You must listen to what your guests tell you they want out of it, and then adapt.
James McLean:​ Every pub is different and plays a distinct role. Every customer base has different needs, it’s important to always bear that in mind. A great wine list helps, too.
NS:​ As a restaurant you set out your stall and people come or they don't come. Pubs are different because people don't think twice about crossing the threshold of a pub. The way you draw people in is different. It’s possible to come in and just have a pint at all the pubs we’re involved with. And we don’t book all the tables on busy nights, we always leave space for the locals.

Tell us about your most recent pub project, The Mutton

NS:​ We’re working as consultants to help the Taylor family reopen their local, which was in a bit of state having been closed for three years. They work in finance but it’s not their first foray into hospitality as they also run a game lodge in Botswana.
JM:​ But we don't like the term consultant because it generally means that somebody points at it and says it's broken. We see ourselves as being the people responsible for making it good. That means staying on until it is good, and that everybody is educated to the point that we are no longer necessary.
NS:​ We have helped the Taylor family and close family friend Ashley Hatton conceive the business and recruit a great head chef (Rob Boer) and GM (Luke Bailey). I tend to concentrate on the culture of the business while James is more focused on the functional side of things.

How will the Mutton differ to the two pubs you own?

NS:​ Creating a hospitality business is a bit like putting a band together. The difference comes from having a certain group of people involved with it. The production and direction are the same but because the people are different, you get something distinct. It's not a cookie-cutter approach.
JM:​ The Mutton will be pitched at a slightly lower price point to The Crown in Bray and The Oarsman in Marlow because it's in a more rural location.

What's on the menu?

JM:​ Rob is a great cook, he was previously head chef for Matt Tomkinson at Betony at The Kings Head in Wiltshire. He wants to flex his culinary muscles a bit but the food will be simple and have a strong seasonality to it. There will be a dish on the menu that will play with the idea of mutton dressed as lamb in a nod to the name of the pub.
NS:​ Our job is to support him by giving him the tools and the space he needs to produce great food. Pubs and restaurants differ from other businesses because chefs must produce everything while also being responsible for lots of other things. In other industries that head of production role gets much more support, people are allowed to focus on the core bit of their jobs. 

Why do you think more and more restaurant chefs and restaurateurs are switching over to pubs?

NS:​ The availability of property is a big factor. If you can afford the upfront cost of the freehold there are some good deals to be done. Since the pandemic, the focus has shifted to out-of-town places, and that’s where a lot of pubs are.
JM:​ The beer tie is in general less of an issue than it once was. We have managed to do decent deals with our landlords at both The Crown and The Oarsman. Pub companies now understand they need good operators in their properties. There’s an awareness those business models were destructive.

You’ve both been consultants for some time...

NS:​ I set up the The Fat Duck with Heston Blumenthal in 1995. I worked with him until 2003. The joke is that I left and then the restaurant got three stars. After leaving The Fat Duck, I started helping other chefs in the way that I helped Heston. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 20 years or so. In 2018, I started working with Heston again as a consultant COO  – we still have a great laugh together – which led to James and I taking on The Crown (which was until recently part of The Fat Duck Group). My other projects include Terriors (an influential and sorely missed restaurant that was among the first in London to champion natural wines) with Eric Narioo. I supported Ed Wilson (Terriors’ original chef) and gave him everything he needed to deliver.
JM:​ I’m a chef by trade. I’ve worked with Nigel since we met in 2008 when I was cooking at The Princess Victoria in Shepherd’s Bush. I was also owner director at Newman Street Tavern in Fitzrovia.

Do you have any other consultancy projects in the works?

NS:​ We’re about to launch an events venue at The University Church of Oxford. We also have a couple of unnamed projects on our books including a hotel. The idea is to use our consultancy work to partly fund our own projects. We're like session musicians, we like to work with other people.

How are your places trading?

NS:​ There are strong headwinds that are eating away at profitability. The utilities support recently announced by the Government is vital but there needs to be more.
JM:​ We both launched businesses in 2008 (Terroirs and The Princess Victoria) so we’re no strangers to difficult trading environments. But there’s no doubt the KPIs for restaurants and pubs have changed. The big learning of the financial crash was that while people might have changed their price point, they did not want to stop going out. That applies today. Operators need to provide a good product and an experience that can’t be had at home
NS:​ It’s a tough environment but in truth running hospitality businesses has always been hard. The difference now is that more people are aware of the challenges the industry faces.