The Fenwick Arms
Friday, May 16 2008 | Comments (0)
Welcome to Fenwick Farms, in Lancaster, Lancashire- a traditional pub with rustic fare. See how Chef Ramsay changed it from a stuffy pub-wanna-be-gourmet and painfully slow service that just tried too hard.
Fenwick Arms had everything it needed to become a success - years of experience, great location, talented staff. But the owners were so stuck in their old, fuddy-duddy ways, that they hadn't allowed the place to grow. They bought and began to operate a pub nearly 30 years ago, and spent the entire time trying to make it something that it was not. Brian, co-owner with wife Elaine and head chef, muddled the menu with unnecessary details like red-wine reduction sauces - added to almost every plate. Even the presentation was over the top. It looked like a sad attempt to be a fancy restaurant. When Gordon Ramsay walked into the dining room, he exclaimed - "It looks like you've got the Queen coming!"
But, no the Queen would not be coming that evening. Even the Queen knows that when she wants fancy food she goes to a fancy place, and when she wants steak and chips, she goes to a Pub, and not the confused likes of the Fenwick Arms.
But, as Brian proclaimed, his "word is law." He was one stubborn old goat that Gordon would have to break to save this restaurant.
So, taking a cue from the description on the front of the menu, claiming to serve traditional British pub food, he asks Brian what that is. Brian really has no idea. As Gordon tries to explain, it needs to be simple, rustic, and filling. Nothing fancy. Just good, simple, home cooking.
To make matters worse, when Gordon meets with Elaine, he finds out just how dire everything is. They are 1/4 million in debt, because this pub is really just a badly run restaurant, with an owner who also has this terrible addiction to buying second hand gadgets and plates. Oh The Plates! Brian justifies his spending because he gets everything low-price and used. But all those used items add up not only on the books, but in the cluttered kitchen as well. He has stacks of plastic wrapped plates, just waiting to make their debut.
First assignment - fill the dumpster that Gordon brings in, and sell some of the odd plates that Brian has collected on Ebay.
This exercise sends Brian into shock, but Gordon presses on. He respects Brian, but in order for him to help Brian get his kitchen working properly, he needs to clear out some space. The exercise is also a god lesson in accepting change for Brian. Another change that Brian wouldn't be to keen on, at first, was to let the chefs do the cooking. Brian got the boot out of the kitchen. He had some great, talented chefs working in there, and wasn't letting them shine or run anything.
That night, the kitchen has a greatly successful night; these chefs really know how to not only cook great food, but also get it out on the tables in a timely manner. But, Brian has no idea how to relate to the guests. He hovers and seems uncomfortable. And he and Elaine can't get people out of the bar and to the tables fast enough. They need to learn how to get things running. One thing that holds them up is their attempt to provide this up-scale service. Gordon tells them that if they are to run a rub, they need to be relaxed and laid back. It's a pub, let it be a pub.
The next day, their next assignment is to overhaul the menu. Brian and Elaine sit and concentrate on changing menu items to simple pub versions of their favorite recipes, ditching the ones that are just too over-the-top. A simplified menu, with no sauces. They then are asked to go home and change, and to come back to dinner that night and allow the restaurant to serve them.
When they first arrive, Gordon sends them home. They are wearing suits. Gordon reminds them that this is a pub, and they need to start acting like it is such. They obediently go home and change, and return to enjoy the first meal they've ever sat in the dining room and eaten in their own restaurant. And they LOVE the new foods that Gordon has replaced on the menu.
But, the next day, Brian is back to his old tricks. Playing with his fancy plates, and cooking a roast with a thick gravy. When Gordon assessed what was going on, Brian's head chef (with Brian "out" of the kitchen), filled Gordon in. Brian was apparently still not ready for change, and still wanted to run the show. So, Gordon decides to meet them half way. He teaches the chefs how to make a new gravy, the correct way. He comments that their Yorkshire puddings are fabulous and that they shouldn't ruin them with thick over-cooked gravy. What did he do with the pot of old gravy? He took it out to the parking lot to fill a few potholes.
From the Fenwick's delicious Yorkshire puddings and Gordon's new gravy, Gordon pulls his marketing strategy that could turn this old pub around.
He launches the "Campaign for Real Gravy", and the entire staff of the Fenwick hit the streets of Lancashire, serving up their delicious Yorkshire Puddings topped with Gordon's "real" gravy. Brian takes the mega-horn and gets really into the Campaign. He is excited about his restaurant for the first time, it seems, in a long time.
This campaign catches on, and they end up with 80 reserved seats for that evening's dinner hour. Elaine and Brian spruce up the front of the building, Gordon's crew posts a sign that reads ""Great British Pub Food".
And the "campaign" is a success, and Gordon leaves the Fenwick with their own amazing Yorkshire puddings, his "real" gravy, a rejuvenated staff, and two owners who now know their place in their own restaurant. No more fancy-schmancy, frilly, fru-fru platters of sad attempts at gourmet. Just good, old-fashioned, rustic, traditional British pub fare.
Fast forward to his return one year later. Another pub, the Highwayman Pub has opened up the street. And Brian is up to no good, cooking 3 nights a week in the kitchen, and under the pressure of the competition, has started to slip back to the old over-the-top foods of the past. The menu is also outdated, listing winter dishes, even though it was the beginning of June. The Fenwick staff has one foot out the door, and they are fed up with Brian's stubborn nature, and inability to just allow the talents of others to flourish.
Gordon has just one day to try and turn them around again. So, he grabs some stacks of plates from Brian's horde, and takes the staff outside. He takes his plates back out. They have an honesty session, each admitting what they feel. Brian's head chef just wishes that Brian would let him come up with a few items, to prove that he can, and that he has some good ideas. Brian feels that he has completely lost it. They ceremonially` break their plates as a sign of breaking the negativity that surrounds them, and they head back inside to embrace change.
Gordon helps the head chef come up with some nice pub style salads and lighter meals for the hot day. The owners love them, and think that they can maintain these changes. They learn that they need to just own the pub, and let the younger, more talented staff, have more responsibility. At the end of the night, Brian hugs his head chef; Brian is proud of his work, he knows that he can do it on his own, and he promises to stay out of the kitchen.
It appears that Gordon's work really helped the place stay afloat. He made his year-after visit in June 2007. Check out the Fenwick Arms website and see for yourself. Do you think they are maintaining the modern changes and rustic menu? If you want to see what they are up against, check out the Highwayman Pub. Hopefully, Gordon won't have to make a third visit next month! If Brian and Elaine have let their staff run the show, then the place should maintain it's success. Change can be hard, but after all, adaptation is the key to survival.
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