jamesogt
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Posts posted by jamesogt
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Thought I would go full food critic and see how hard it was!
3 weeks after Boris gave the go ahead for dining out I ventured to Rafters in Sheffield. Most Sheffielder’s from the West side of the city will know this gem of a restaurant. Carefully hidden above the Sheffield Window centre, it is an unassuming looking place from the outside.
Rafters has 2 AA rosettes, and is listed in the Michelin guide, though it may not hold one of the coveted stars the food is of an excellent standard. Currently their dinner option is the £80 6 course fixed menu, which would put it firmly in the star bracket in terms of pricing. But Sheffield is an odd place for dining. High end restaurants tend to struggle against the Yorkshire adage of quantity over quality. Restaurants come and go here, but Rafters in its current guise has been here since 2013, owned and operated by Alistair and Tom. The restaurant pins a lot of its success on subtly embracing Yorkshire culture, from the personalised Rafters cutlery, Sheffield of course. The addition of the much-loved Henderson’s relish in the butter served with bread (Lea and Perrins is ultimately a swear word in these parts.) They have even taken the opportunity to upgrade all their tables with beautiful solid oak tables from Richard Carr, supporting independent and family run local businesses at times like this is essential.
My first restaurant meal, out after the pandemic was a more relaxed brunch in Birmingham. But having seen the protocols that had been put in place there it gave me confidence that the sector was taking this seriously so they could re-open and welcome guests back to their venues.
We were booked for dinner on the Saturday evening, so the six-course tasting menu it was for us. No allergies and no alterations needed, though they were offered. We also opted for the wine flight, you may as well let the experts do their job and just enjoy the food and drink as it arrives. Interestingly the Wine on this evening was quite England weighted with the first 2 wines both being from here. A Guinevere Chardonnay from Kent followed by a barrel fermented Bacchus from West Sussex, both excellent accompaniments to their relevant courses.
The menu was at our table ready and waiting for us in a uniquely wax sealed envelope, along with our own bottle of sanitiser, this is Summer 2020 remember. What followed were 6 and more terrific courses with interspersed surprises just in case we were still hungry, no danger of that here tonight.
The early surprise was 2 perfectly runny quails eggs served on straw, swiftly followed by the Baron Bigod & Broccoli tart, Baron Bigod is Britain’s first unpasteurised Brie to be made on the farm in traditional large (3kg) wheels, ladled by hand with milk from the farm’s French-bred Montbeliarde cows. It is aged to perfect ripeness, with a rich buttery softness towards the rind contrasted by a fresh, lactic core. The French will be jealous…
Then followed the perfectly cured thinly sliced hand dived scallop, delicately finished with cucumber and avocado, micro herbs and edible flowers. This was the first introduction of the unique tableware, beautiful handmade pots from Paul Mossman pottery, Paul hand makes every single piece and signs the bottom of each individual pot, plate, bowl. Made just outside of Sheffield in Staveley.
Then came one of the more surprising stand out courses, you would wonder what can be done with five small tomatoes, well wonder no more. Isle of Wight tomatoes dressed in elderflower, lovage & hazelnut pesto, spicy salad, multi seed crackers, whipped Yorkshire fettle & tomato & elderflower essence. You may wonder what Fettle is? Well Feta is a protected region within the EU, but you won’t stop a Yorkshireman improvising. Made with whole ewes’ milk, it is handmade and hand-salted for each cheese to encourage the piquant, lemony flavour and slightly crumbly texture. Matured over a minimum of two weeks, the salt infuses the whole cheese. They then hand-wax each truckle to lock in the fresh flavour and creamy texture.
The Cornish place, again delicious. Accompanied by a Sauvignon Fume from Germany, finished at the table with a mussel chowder and chive. The meat main course Wortley Estate Lamb, Rump & rib finished on the BBQ, courgettes, basil & artichoke, cooked to a perfect pink with the rib served on the side, meat falling effortlessly from the bone.
We finished with a small lemon posset and English Strawberry mousse, in fact I had 2, as my dining partner was starting to struggle. There is a true skill to being to eat an entire menu that may be overlooked sometimes. I did have flashbacks of recreating the Mr Creosote in the Monty Python scene when the Pistachio Macaron arrived, but I battled through.
It is worth noting additionally in these unusual times what additional precautions are being taken for both your and the teams safety. Tables have been removed to enforce the necessary social distancing. All waiters wear masks, and the short wine list is available online. The food menu was as mentioned on our table prior to arrival. There was also sanitiser on entry. I felt they had done everything that could be asked of them, though I did feel for the chefs working in the heat with both masks and visors.
Some people have suggested that the reopening of restaurants and bars is too risky. I disagree. These places need to be open. They not only are a needed social outlet, but they provide a living for many families across the country and if opened and operated safely they are no more of a risk than when you go to Tesco in my opinion. These restaurants aren’t looking to make a profit for the rest of 2020, they are looking to survive. This means we need to go and support them, and that is fully what I intend to do. Even more so in August when we get the Rishi “Eat out to Help out” scheme up and running. If they are all as good as Rafters then hopefully the future will be bright for those who make it through.
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5 hours ago, Mikes10 said:Anyone like to take on the job as general manager? :
https://www.caterer.com/job/general-manager/true-north-brew-co-job86549027
40k (including performance related bonus) I wonder what the real salary is?
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1 minute ago, Fudbeer said:I agree.
This made me laugh too " Currently, the customer base is predominantly local who enjoy pub games" .
Would be more accurate to say currently the customer base is pretty much non existent!
It can never work whilst your 2 big competitors are A, A massive national with a manager and B, A freehold. They will be buying beer at around 80p a pint, you will be buying it at nearer 1.50.
The rent now makes it look vaguely achievable for a family to run. I mean renting a 3 bed house in Millhouses is over 1k a month. Its all the other costs EI add on, and then the time you'd have to work achieve a nominal wage bill. Plus the fact that rent will be "introductory".....
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On 14/05/2019 at 20:45, Fudbeer said:Closed again and looks like they are looking for yet another change of management.
The words extended barge pole spring to mind!
If the people who got it busy a few years ago could still not make it pay then I doubt anyone can.
Probably end up as flats.
Page 4, my numbers break down. They didnt add up ! *They have since halved the rent to 10k , I should consult for anyone thinking of "investing" lol.
Also adjusted their expectation of income by almost 100k
Now....
Typical turnover: £290,000.00 per annum
Average rent: £10,000.00 per annum
Estimated Capital start-up: £7,800.00 (excl VAT)
Then
Potential turnover: £378,000.00 per annum
Introductory Rent: £20,000.00 per annum
Estimated Capital start-up: £25,250.00 (excl VAT)
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17 minutes ago, Ms Macbeth said:From the Yorkshire Post.
'Jared O'Mara says he would not have become an MP if he had known the Equality Act didn't apply to Parliament.'
Perhaps the time has come for his resignation. It appears he didn't do his homework before standing, he probably didn't expected to be elected, and then when he was, it was shown not to be what he wanted. No shame for him in saying its not for him, perhaps he can go back to however he earned his living before, without the stress public office brings.
Sound technician at West St Live I doubt pays 75k a year + expenses. Id fully expect him to stay as long as possible. Lets face it politicians are in it for themselves as much as they claim to be a public servant. Just look at Fiona Asanaya, Kate Osamor and the raft of expense fiddling MP's.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/politics/news/101472/political-prisoners-mps-who-have-served-jail-time -
I do 25k miles a year for work. More at the moment than in the past. I have driven for 25 years. Along with 7 years driving in the US. No at fault accidents, no points. Speeding in the UK is entirely optional, when you drive with an awareness of whats going on around you!
I have a Cheetah to let me know where fixed cameras are and Waze which highlights both fixed and mobile, as highlighted by other users. In between that you can pretty much do whatever you like within reason. I drove this week to Portsmouth and back, roughly 8 hours and 500 miles, not one police car (marked) at least. Rarely do I see Police enforcing speed on motorways, and local police have no time to do it other than mobile vans. You would have to be driving like you stole it to get stopped. Of my 500 mile a week average I see the odd van, occasionally leaving Sheffield on the Parkway (always the same spot) and near Ladybower in the lay bay at the end of the straight heading on to Snake. Very rarely at Norton heading towards Chesterfield past Morrisons and also just off the roundabout near the Hilton.
On average the fixed camera coming in to Sheffield on the Parkway catches 15 people a day! 550k a year. How, I do not know, it has been there years and often you are lucky to pass it doing 5mph never mind over 40! It is the HADECS 3 that you now have to watch for, these are the fixed Gantry cameras that active when the variable speed limits are in force on motorways, I do see loads of these flashing, but people seem to ignore them!
On the other hand in America it is enforced within about 3mph. Local and Highway police will happily stop people all day long. Many times I got stopped there (but got let go due to international licence). They don't tend to use cameras at all as they have much firmer enforcement from actual police. If we enforced like they do it would be a different story.
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On 03/03/2019 at 09:59, Cyclone said:Or more accurately £100 a year.
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/parking/apply-parking-permit/green-parking-permits.html
Or more accurately free from April 1st.
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Hybrid car, so now mines free.
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Its issue is that it is massive! Too big for the area almost. Even if it has 20 people in it feels dead, unlike the Masons in comparison that would feel full.
Hopefully Stancils have bought the freehold, look around Sheffield at pubs that have been "free'd" of their tie and floursihed, there are plenty of them.
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My thoughts are it is a slightly more sympathetic "Theme" Irish bar. No it isnt full of Irish old men drinking Guinness, but neither is it covered in Bright Green Orange haired Leprechauns as O'Neills/80's stye Irish bars were.
I have been a few times now and it is always busy, the bands on the weekend are also decent. It seems to have attracted a fairly mixed bag of customers from 18-60! Pretty much a cross section of similar people that West St Live has.
Either way it is a massive improvement on what was there before banging out bassline chav tunes!
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Closed after shifitng assets to their spouse.....hmmmmm
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2 hours ago, lil-minx92 said:You need to adjust for the fact the pub is also your house, so the tenant avoids the cost of rent/mortgage etc (do they pay council tax for the residential element as well as business rates??) That has to be worth a few thousand a year
You are still liable for council tax, on top of business rates. They also won't collect bins from business premises, thats another £600+ a year......The numbers still leave enough for 4 staff including yourselves....
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On 12/15/2018 at 9:07 AM, DerbyTup said:It doesn't have to be. It depends what their offering is, compared to the competition. The village I grew up in had 13 pubs in just over a 1 mile stretch when I was a kid. It remained like that for many years before the demise of the pub trade in general. Each had their own personality. That's how they survived so long alongside each other. I suspect the Millhouse's pub's problem is that it doesn't have a "personality" at all? Nothing that people can identify it with? I've never heard anyone say, "it's good for...." whatever. That's quite important when you are in close competition with others - you need to stand for something - you can't just be everything, or you are nothing.
I think the Robin Hood is a dreadful place. I've been in a couple of times with friends before dining at Milano's. It is a horrible chain pub with poor drinks and nothing to commend it as far as I can see. So that one should be easy to compete with.
The Wagon has had a sympathetic makeover in recent years. I must say, I think they've done a nice job with that - however, it's mainly gone over to being a dining pub and when we had a meal there a few months ago it was pretty poor tbh. We've no motivation to ever go back there again.
So, Millhouses pub, the door is wide open actually to establish itself as the best pub in that immediate vicinity. But it needs to decide what it wants to be - and then do it well - and let everyone know.
Its real issue is being on a lease that is not sustainable. It can't compete on price, the base of any business!
https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/run-a-pub/pubs/pages/millhouses-sheffield.aspx
They have removed the Rent amount and the "Potential Turnover" as they are usually laughable! But I had already used a while ago.....
Potential turnover: £378,000.00 per annum
Introductory Rent: £20,000.00 per annum
Estimated Capital start-up: £25,250.00 (excl VAT)
Note the word potential! £1600 a month in rent, plus business rates and utilities. And there is a note that they plan to increase it "This pub needs personal investment of time, effort and skills to realise its potential. Our vision for this pub is a business capable of sustaining a rent of £33,000.00 per annum." So they will want almost 3k a month if you start doing well. On a tied lease, so your GP will be circa 50% at best. (Most bars run nearer 80%).
378k is 7.3k a week, well there is not a prayer that business is taking a grand a day. 1000 a day at an average £3.50 a pint 285 drinks a day. I reckon it would do well to do 5k a week in its location. Maybe 260k a year, minus VAT leaves 208k. Half is profit. 104k. minus rent (at the lower rate) and utilities 36k ish leaves 68k. And you haven't paid any staff yet or taken a wage yourself! You can now afford to pay 4 people on NMW.
Sorry but as with a lot of enterprise leases the numbers won't add up.
Look at the Ranmoor also currently available. A pub with a much better reputation in a better area....
https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/run-a-pub/pubs/pages/ranmoor-inn-sheffield.aspx
Potential turnover: £395,000.00 per annum
Guide Rent: £30,000.00 per annum
Estimated Capital start-up: £14,500.00 (excl VAT)
They also want you to sign up to this (please allow 3 hours for a full read!) Which basically means you run the pub for them and are liable for a myriad of things. If that was the case and it made money it would be part of the managed wing and they would pay you 25k+ to do it. SEction 5 for those that get that far!
https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/Documents/sample-5-year-rpt.pdf
Maintenance Service Charge: £798.00 (Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight Pounds) per annum plus VAT Cellar Cooling Only: £309.00 (Three Hundred and Nine Pounds) per annum plus VAT Heating and Boiler Only: £489.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Nine Pounds) per annum plus VAT Health and Safety Compliance Service Charge: £1,177.00 (One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Seven Pounds) per annum plus VAT
5.4 Insurance Rent You must pay Us the cost that We spend in insuring the Property described in clause 37 (Our Insurance Obligations). 5.5 Deposit Your deposit will be £[XXXXX] (AMOUNT IN WORDS) and We may ask You to increase this sum under the terms of clause 5 (Deposit). You must pay Us the deposit when You enter into this tenancy. 5.6 Decoration Fund You must pay £[XXXXX] (AMOUNT IN WORDS) plus VAT per annum to be put towards Your decorating obligations and this will be applied.
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This has come around again!
Rank Leisure and Grosvenor Casino Sheffield will be donating along with Birtwistles butchers...
40kg Potatoes
20kg Carrots
20kg Parsnips
20kg Sprouts
40kg Turkey
450 pigs in blankets
6kg of stuffing
We hope everyone has a great day
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Is it true that Marston`s are taking this place over? Never been in personally tbh as , err, it didn`t look like my sort of thing.....Re-opening as "Lost and Found", the new brand from Marstons under the Revere Pub company label.
https://the-lostandfound.co.uk/sheffield
https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/523530/revere-pub-company-to-open-fifth-lost-found-bar
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I am a regular user of the Berkley Centre car park which up to recently had a free 2 hour policy with enforcement using a camera and monitored by Vehicle Control Services. They have now installed a parking meter which gives free parking for 1 hr but asks for a ticket costing a £1 for 1-2 hours. The signs about 2 hour free parking remain. Does anybody have any experience or info on the enforceability of the £1 charge?Chris
Not an argument worth trying to win. They will issue a PCN, you will spend hours fighting it. It is their car park, they can most likely charge what they like.
And before all the people come along saying PCN are not enforceable see below, all change since the Barry Beavis case.
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Looks like they have made an error in their expansion plans and grown too quickly. Impacted as other high street chains have been by rising costs.
All sounds a bit suspect when you then "sell" to your fiance. Happy they saved jobs, but how many (if any) suppliers and landlords have they left hanging?
An Indian street food and craft beer business which operates five restaurants across Yorkshire has been acquired in a pre-pack deal securing more than 100 jobs.
On 5 October 2018, Lee Lockwood and Bob Maxwell of Begbies Traynor in Leeds were appointed as joint administrators of The Cat's Pyjamas Ltd. The company was immediately acquired by Meow Hospitality Ltd.
Based in Headingley, Leeds, The Cat's Pyjamas was founded in 2015, offering Indian street food and craft beer.
It has five restaurants in Leeds, Headingley, York, Harrogate and Sheffield as well as a central kitchen in Kirkstall that also operated as a head office.
Administrators said the business had traded successfully but suffered from cash flow problems due to its rapid growth.
A buyer was sought and, after a period of marketing, its business and assets, with the exception of the central kitchen, were acquired in a pre-pack sale, saving the jobs of the company's 102 employees and ensuring the continuity of the chain.
The owner of one of Harrogate's most popular recent additions to the town's restaurant has set the record straight about why the business has gone into administration and how she has saved it - and 130 jobs - with the help of her family.
Talking to the Harrogate Advertiser, ambitious entrepreneur Alison White, who has seen independent Indian street food chain the Cat's Pyjamas on Albert Street become one of Harrogate's best-loved restaurants in a few short months since it opened in August, said: "I can confirm that The Cat’s Pyjamas Ltd has officially gone into administration.
"However I can also confirm the business is still fully up and running with no interruption to customer service and we have saved all 130 jobs.
"I want to set the record straight about what this really means, why this was a necessary business decision and what the future holds for the brand.
"There came a point over the last three months where we found ourselves in a difficult situation due to our recent high level investment into business growth and expansions, and our reliance on short term high interest crippling loans.
"We had a planned new site opening in Wakefield which would support our cash flow and bottom line.
"However, unforeseen circumstances with power problems meant the site couldn’t open fast enough.
"That coupled with building a strong head office team to support me to run the business whilst I had my first child some 12 weeks ago has resulted in a loss for the business of over £50,000 a month.
"I can hold my hands up to say that my ambitious plans were possibly a bit naive, not having the proper support around me and I got drawn into a financial situation that was not sustainable.
"As a new growing business it’s very difficult to get long term sustained borrowing from any source - so short term high interest loans are the route many go down.
"This is what we did and I felt confident I could maintain the pressure of the repayments however when things go wrong circumstances change.
"We have been working with accountants for the last four weeks, seeing if there was anyone out there who could help us, to first and foremost secure the 130 jobs of the amazing team members we have.
"Due to the current climate in the restaurant sector no support was forthcoming.
"We have managed to save the business, and it comes down to family. I am so grateful to have such an amazing personal network around me, and I appreciate that not all entrepreneurs are in this situation.
"My fiancé, Paul, who is already successful in the trade with his own businesses is heading it up, thanks to financial contributions from many family members. We have saved all jobs and all sites are fully operational.
"In hindsight I can see that as an ambitious entrepreneur bringing something new to the restaurant market I had big dreams and ambitious plans but perhaps without the right support or advice.
"These have been the worst few months of my life when I should have been off on maternity spending time with my daughter, Elsie. The Cat’s Pyjamas is a strong brand that I have put my heart and soul into for the last three years.
"The business is fully functioning and continuing to provide the service people know and love.
"I’m just sorry that we’ve had to go through this and hugely disappointed in the financial systems that have led to this, but I know the new company with my support will continue stronger.”
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Fantastic summary. It's not rocket science and yet so many people (often couples) get drawn into signing a contract.To be fair I did omit that you get to live for "free" as your living costs are absorbed by the business. But still it is a lifestyle choice, you are not going to get rich. Best case scenario is that you can make a living and not be worried about cash flow/debt all the time.
The issue is the lease owners don't let you make any money. As soon as think you are earning over 30k a year they up the rent.
The reason it attracts couples is the fact that you need two people to do all the work just to keep it open. I would bet that most lease hold couples are near 100hrs a week between them. With the rest of any money going on a couple of bar staff and a chef or two. The key is to work a food offer as that is the only thing the PubCo can't skim from. But the casual dining scene is over populated, if Jamie Oliver is struggling then you know it's tough.
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Looking at the website looks like you are right,must give it a try.Will be interesting to see how that goes good luck to them.
Another terrible leasehold it would seem.
Changes hands on a relatively frequent basis, can't compete with the buying power of the Robin Hood or the Waggon. From a try at Gastro to Sports, knowing how Enterprise and Punch operate I'm afraid it will be another tenant trying to make ends meet soon enough.
Still on their webpage too......
https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/run-a-pub/pubs/pages/millhouses-sheffield.aspx
Potential turnover: £378,000.00 per annum
Introductory Rent: £20,000.00 per annum
Estimated Capital start-up: £25,250.00 (excl VAT)
Note the word potential! £1600 a month in rent, plus business rates and utilities. And there is a note that they plan to increase it "This pub needs personal investment of time, effort and skills to realise its potential. Our vision for this pub is a business capable of sustaining a rent of £33,000.00 per annum." So they will want almost 3k a month if you start doing well. On a tied lease, so your GP will be circa 50% at best. (Most bars run nearer 80%).
378k is 7.3k a week, well there is not a prayer that business is taking a grand a day. 1000 a day at an average £3.50 a pint 285 drinks a day. I reckon it would do well to do 5k a week in its location. Maybe 260k a year, minus VAT leaves 208k. Half is profit. 104k. minus rent (at the lower rate) and utilities 36k ish leaves 68k. And you haven't paid any staff yet or taken a wage yourself! You can now afford to pay 4 people on NMW.
Sorry but as with a lot of enterprise leases the numbers won't add up.
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The Three Tuns last day of trading under the most recent management was Saturday 25th August I believe. They ended the lease (it is leased from Punch Taverns and they were contractually tied to source much of the beer via the pub company) as it was starting to lose money following a difficult summer - much of Sheffield tends to die a death in the summer with no students and people on summer holidays, coupled with the world cup and hot weather (the Tuns doesn't have a beer garden) along with the fact that many people have been a bit skint and not been going out to pubs.The Tuns is a fairly unique classic pub and quite a pleasant place to sit and have a relaxed pint and bar snack. The choice of both food and beer wasn't particularly exciting but it was perfectly acceptable and served to a good standard.
I think the Tuns is an example similar to the Rutland Arms and Shakespeares in that if it was owned independently rather than by Punch Taverns it could be so much more successful (both of those pubs were properties sold off by Punch!).
Andy, we could start an entire thread called "Pubs that have thrived without PubCo ownership" !
Lions/Yorkshireman, is another one they sold off. I took that for £1 a week in 2007 they sold the freehold in 2010 for circa £180k. Compulsory purchase at some time may be enacted, but a business and 3 bed flat now looks like a steal at that price!
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There has been several deaths on that stretch, the memorial to Matt and Adam (with the SWFC colours) is the hardest for me to swallow as they were my son’s mates. A professional racing driver was also killed on it, I drive down it most days and can’t see the problem.
The whole section has been "eased" since that crash. It used to have much more camber and bend than it does now.....
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A pint of Fosters is £3.60, but half a pint is £2.50. How can they justify charging that for half a pint?Supermarkets have done it for years. Buy 1 for £3.00 or buy 2 for £4.00. Though you wouldn't be allowed to do this under Scottish licencing as encouraging people to drink more by discounting by volume is illegal.
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I rent a room out in Crookes.
I charge £380PCM inc all bills. So £87pw. Double room, only 2 of us in the house. He has full use of anything he likes. Room is also double, with a new mattress and furnished.
I realise this is probably on the higher side of averages. But I spend a lot of time away. 4 weeks holiday, and probably 2 nights a week for work, so he gets a lot of time here alone.
In terms of energy use when I am here I average £8pw in electric, when he is here alone it is nearer £5.
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Thats as may be ... but at least the "existing customer base" now has a choice....Pay a club entrance fee and buy reasonably priced drinks to be insulted by "some" complacent long-serving staff who could seriously do with customer relations training
or
Pay no entrance and a bit more for drinks to be served by new polite staff grateful to have a job
Pays ya money takes ya choices
Will be interesting to see what the next bar offerings are like ...
If you go in Dempseys before 9 it is free? I bet you cant find many bar staff in Sheffield that have been at one bar for 15 ish years, as an employer they must be doing something to get such longevity from staff!
Rafters restaurant
in Going out in Sheffield
Posted
If they want to pay me ill send them my details!