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Women's World: Take your own fish and chips to Caroline's bar
It's the survival of the fittest in the pub trade as Halifax licensee Caroline Hilton will testify
WHO would run a pub in these trying times?
Six close every day in Britain – a rate 20 times greater than three years ago. And experts are warning thousands more jobs will go if the Government doesn't take action soon.
Caroline Hilton knows how difficult life can be. The 40-year-old mother of three runs Bar Eleven in Harrison Road, Halifax, with her business partner, Sean Helliwell, and has a lot more to put up with than just the smoking ban, deepening recession and rising unemployment.
Bar Eleven used to be referred to as the HBOS pub because of its close proximity to the bank's town centre HQ. It was difficult to get a table most lunchtimes or early evenings because bank workers used it for get togethers, parties and business meetings.
The pub had a thriving food trade until HBOS hit the buffers and was taken over by Lloyds. Now for a number of reasons, including uncertainly over their jobs, workers no longer frequent the pub in numbers at lunch time or after work. As a consequence, trade has suffered terribly.
So much so that three months ago it stopped serving food.
But instead of sitting back and becoming another statistic, Caroline and Sean decided to take action. They put their heads together and came up with numerous ideas to ride the economic storm.
Now they are pioneering a variation on the bring-your-own theme. Instead of taking your own drink (like you do at lots of restaurants these days), you can now take your own food into Bar Eleven and they will supply the cutlery and condiments.
According to Caroline, the idea is taking off in numerous cities like Sheffield and is slowly proving popular with locals. "Workers are starting to bring in everything from fish and chips to curries, salads and sandwiches.
"We have got a party of 30 from HBOS booked in shortly. They are bringing their own sandwiches."
As well as bring-your-own food, the pub does a quiz night, an 80s night and a live music night and uses its upstairs function room to cater for every type of party imaginable from 18ths and sixth-form leaving dos, to pink princess parties.
It's also planning pop-and-crisp nights for teenagers during the summer holidays and plans to contact senior schools in the region about them. The weekly nights will be closely monitored, says Caroline, with a strictly-no-alcohol policy and doormen to stop others getting in.
But the most popular event to date is a ladies' evening held in the bar. Caroline, who lives in Sowerby Bridge with husband Dan and sons, William, nine, Henry, seven, and Dillon, five, held her first ladies' evening last month and more than 100 women turned out for it.
"Local businesswomen took over the bar and set up various stalls ranging from clothes, jewellery, accessories, cosmetics and beauty to alternative health treatments.
"Visitors got to sample treatments and treat themselves to a new top, handbag or pair of earrings. It was a fun evening but it also enabled business women to meet other females working for themselves and network.
"Everyone involved asked when the next event was," says Caroline, who had her own stall selling silver jewellery she makes with a friend. "We sell to friends and family as well as several galleries and shops. We also do commissions," she explained.
She believes such evenings are the way forward. "It's really, really tough at the moment and to keep your head above water you have to keep coming up with new ideas. The ladies evenings work because small businesses can help one another. That is the way to get through this present crisis."
Caroline hopes to do a ladies' evening every six weeks. The next one is on Wednesday, June 24. Entry is free and anyone interested in a stall is asked to contact her at Bar Eleven.
In the meantime Caroline has got her Christmas head on. "We still do food for functions and we are just doing our Christmas menus now.
"Times might be tough but people still want to celebrate the festive season. We have got 150 bookings and it's not even July." It was a fun evening but it also enabled business women to meet other females working for themselves and network.
“Everyone involved asked when the next event was,” says Caroline, who had her own stall selling silver jewellery she makes with a friend. “We sell to friends and family as well as several galleries and shops. We also do commissions,” she explain-ed.
She believes such evenings are the way forward. “It’s really, really tough at the moment and to keep your head above water you have to keep coming up with new ideas. The ladies evenings work because small businesses can help one another. That is the way to get through this present crisis.”
Caroline hopes to do a ladies’ evening every six weeks. The next one is on Wednesday, June 24. Entry is free and anyone interested in a stall is asked to contact her at Bar Eleven.
In the meantime Caroline has got her Christmas head on. “We still do food for functions and we are just doing our Christmas menus now.
“Times might be tough but people still want to celebrate the festive season. We have got 150 bookings and it’s not even July.”
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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