Tom and Katie Hannon have been running The Rising Sun in Truro for five years. It’s away from the main part of town, very small, no sea view and has only four parking spaces. You’d think it had nothing going for it. So how did they recently manage to win Punch Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards?
‘Our pub is in one of the most affluent residential areas of Truro and I knew that if we got things right for locals, we’d be busy,’ says Tom. ‘Before we took over, the business had been drinks-only and I felt the secret to getting things right would be to add food into the mix – as long as it was the RIGHT food. I’ve been working in pubs since I was 16, everywhere from huge chains to Michelin Star restaurants. For most chefs, it’s all about the chef, but my experience is that you have to do what’s right for the customer.’
‘We started out serving simple dishes, like ham, egg and chips – but I made sure they were the best in Truro! Locally sourced, great ingredients with a story to tell. Gradually, we introduced more refined dishes on our specials board and customers came along the journey with us. Soon, the specials were outselling the originals. Our menus have been evolving ever since and now we don’t have specials, keeping everything fresh, exciting and in season with a continually changing à la carte menu.’
‘As our business grows, we’ve kept to our original vision: to create a lovely pub that people enjoy. The secret to this is managing every aspect of the pub to make things better. When we first began, all the changes were big and had a dramatic effect, but as we grow and develop, changes become smaller – it’s all about attention to detail.’
Explore, discover, enjoy
‘We’ve transformed our approach to wine as well. Katie is a qualified sommelier and we stock an ever-changing wine list with some really unusual premium choices. We made a bold step to increase the number of wines available by the glass as we realised people wanted to enjoy tasting something exciting and different but may not want to splash out for a whole bottle. It was a brave thing to do, but it really worked.’
‘Our approach to premium spirits is the same. A constantly-changing selection behind the bar – some of our single malt whiskies are as much as £40 per shot. Customers buy them because they want the adventure of trying something new.’
‘Coming down to Earth a bit, we’re not exclusive. If people want a quiet beer and takeaway fish and chip supper, that’s fine by us. Or if they choose to watch football or rugby, we’ll show the match for them. The TV doesn’t interfere with diners, it’s carefully placed to provide a cosy space next to the bar without disrupting others.’
Using every inch of space
‘The pub layout is straight forward. There’s a small bar area and a restaurant space at the back. Between them is a room that can be used for drinking or set up for diners depending on time of day or number of bookings. Keeping things flexible means we can make the most use of our space. Outside is a small courtyard garden where we hold events. It’s a valuable extension to the trading space, but we always bear in mind that we don’t want to overcrowd. So if the terrace is being used, we’ll reduce the number of tables in the restaurant to allow free movement of customers rather than leave diners seated in a crowded traffic jam.’
‘It’s important to lay on something unusual or original to encourage people to visit. I’ll be the first to say that we don’t make a lot of money from a beer festival, but that’s not really the point. Two summers ago, we took a walk around the city centre on August Bank Holiday and realised everything had closed down for the weekend. We decided to make it the time to hold our gin festivals and the pub is always packed, we even have to turn people away. More importantly, rather than just cashing in on the opportunity, we wanted to make something we can be proud of and an event we would enjoy going to. We love organising events like this and so we go to town, doing everything properly and making it the best it can be. Our customers are local and they’ll come back again if they’ve had an amazing time. We’re now planning a ‘Rum & Fire Feast Night’ and the next ‘Wine Pairing Dinner.’
‘Katie handles most of our marketing. When we first started out we were selling The Rising Sun, but this has evolved and now ‘Tom Hannon’ is the brand that’s starting to get more recognised. I contribute editorial to magazines, books and TV programmes and provide recipes too. It’s not the business that people remember, it’s the people, stories and experiences.’
Our recipe for a cracking Christmas
‘Saturday night down the pub might be all about food but when it comes to Christmas, let’s be realistic, it’s just a Christmas dinner. There’s not a lot you can do with traditional turkey and pud that sets it apart.’ ‘What really makes a difference is creating the right Christmas experience. That means attention to detail on every level. Every booking is sent an individual list for their party. They have to pre-order and provide the name of the guest. We use the names to print out place cards for each party to collect on arrival. With a name in place, we get the right dish to the right person without any fuss. Simple. Invisible. Perfect.’ ‘Our decorations are traditional and authentic, real trees, twinkling glass baubles, a real Christmas, exactly what you’d expect.’
‘Truro is a cathedral city and known for its choirs. One of the Choirmasters drinks in the pub and asked me to join. Our most popular night of the year is Carol Night, where the choir comes and sings in the pub. Other than mince pies, we don’t serve a full menu – it’s a different part of the Christmas experience and customers love it!’
