7 minute read
The King and Queen Revitalised
THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN
Under Mark Such’s guidance, the King and Queen has evolved to become one of Brighton’s most popular sporting pub and event venues.
With its striking mock-Tudor façade, The King and Queen pub in Brighton is certainly a venue that looks fit to receive royalty. Step through its imposing wooden doors and a venue that has been painstakingly crafted to cater for all is revealed. Built in 1779 as a farmhouse and named in honour of George III and Charlotte, the venue has lived through a number of different iterations over the years, including a spell as the Brighton Corn Exchange and an Army barracks.
However, it was back in 2009 when, under the care of new General Manager Mark Such, the venue took on its current form – an identity which has helped it to become one of the most unique and popular sporting and event venues in the town.
Mark explains: “I’ve been a caterer since the age of 18 and worked in numerous outlets across England, Europe and the Canary Islands. However, from the moment I saw it, I knew The King and Queen was something special. It could hold up to 560 people and had such a rich history, so I could see the potential straight away. It was a venue that had lost heart and was in need of some serious TLC.”
And Mark was just the medicine that the pub doctor ordered. “In the past 12 years I’ve turned the business around. It turned over £1m a year then and now does more than £3.5m a year," he says. "It’s a thriving business.”
THE LOWDOWN
KING AND QUEEN
Outlet The King and Queen, Brighton, East Sussex Format Pub, sports and events venue Covers 330 Owner Mark Such Time as a caterer 27 years Staff 35 (including two chefs)
CATERING FOR ALL
KING AND QUEEN
Food, themed nights and social events
While the King and Queen has made its name as one of Brighton’s premier sporting venues, Mark has endeavoured to create an offer for all walks of life and interests, with a packed social calendar of events and themed nights and equally crowd-pleasing menus including classic sellers such as burgers, fish and chips, nachos and sharing platters. The King and Queen is also the proud sponsor of Brighton Rugby Club and The Sussex Swans Australian Rules F.C.
It also supports an array of other local businesses by hosting training courses within its many function rooms and even hires its vast cellar space to local businesses.
One of the King and Queen’s key draws is its array of different bar zones and function rooms including a banqueting hall and Heineken Bar in addition to the vast main bar area, all of which feature a table service offer or party buffet menus to suit various occasions.
“We are a sport-orientated establishment but that’s not our only offer. We strive to offer our guests something different and new so there’s something for everyone. We have karaoke nights on Tuesdays, Wednesday is Brighton Rugby Club’s social evening, Thursday is Salsa Dancing, we have Warhammer nights, the list is endless!"
And, as Brighton’s premier sporting venue, the King and Queen also showcases sport from across the globe and live football from every league on its huge projector screens and TVs around the entire venue.
“Fridays and Saturdays are just full-on birthdays, parties and celebrations, and all of our private bars and rooms are booked out months in advance,” Mark adds. “The main bar area has the longest bar in Brighton and we have up to 18 servers on there on a Saturday, our busiest day of the week. Above the bar is The Royal Box, an area with the best seats in the house which can be hired out for sporting events.
“On the second floor we have our Heineken lounge with pool tables and TVs and a mezzanine area called
Mark on Events
MARK'S SPECIAL BOARD
TAKE IT HIGHER
Simple cost-effective menu tweaks can really help elevate your offer and rate of sale.
GO VEGAN
The vegan scene is huge so consider introducing a few simple vegan options to your menu.
TALK IT THROUGH
Your Booker branch teams and CDMs are a fantastic source of inspiration. It makes sense to use them to talk through new concepts and latest trends.
Prinny’s after the Prince Regent which looks down on the rest of the pub. We also have a downstairs pool room with darts and arcade machines, pinball machines and other retro games, while outside we have a large courtyard area that holds over 200 people."
The jewel in the King and Queen's crown, however, is the banqueting hall. "That's where we host weddings and large events," explains Mark. “It can accommodate up to 100 people standing and 60 for sit-down meals and events.
“We also have a Wine Cellar which seats another 60 people and offers a vast selection of wines from around the world plus Champagne and Prosecco. There’s a space for every type of guest and every type of event. Running a place like this is like a military operation though!” Mark laughs.
A military-style precision is certainly employed when it comes to managing the King and Queen’s fast-selling food and drink offer. “We are very wet led: 85% of our revenue is wet but food sales are growing,” says Mark.
“Well over 90% of all our products come from Booker and that includes all of our food. Our menu is typical pub grub, but with a twist. We use a lot of Middle-Eastern flavours to
Mark on Foods
elevate everyday classics."
The venue's biggest-selling dishes are sharing platters and burgers. "We have a small kitchen with only two chefs so we have to be organised and work with great quality products, tweaked or assembled to achieve the desired effect," he says.
“Booker’s Chef’s Larder range is fantastic for that. We use the Southern Fried Chicken Breast Fillet for our Chicken Burgers and also for our top-selling Mexican Chicken Burger which adds bacon, chili cheese and salsa. We’ve turned a product that sells brilliantly on its own into one that sells tenfold with just a few simple tweaks.
“Booker’s Chef’s Larder range of sauces such as the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, Buffalo Sauce and Blackened Cajun Seasoning are also excellent. The quality is outstanding and the price is even better. It lets us add simple twists that really up our rate of sale."
Mark and his team are working hard to drive further growth in food sales in 2022 with various ideas, including the development of more vegan and vegetarian options. "The vegan scene is huge in Brighton now and we want to make more of it," he comments. “The Booker team at the Brighton branch have been really helpful
by letting us trial new products as we develop the offer.”
In terms of trends, Mark says that demand for craft ales and hard seltzers is continuing to soar as is the popularity of gin.
“Gins are huge for us and we have almost every flavour under the sun, all sourced from Booker. We have the luxury of a very large storeroom, so we are able to buy in bulk and make the most of all the promotions. We’re large enough to be able to trial new trends and see how they do."
There’s certainly no shortage of opportunities in 2022 for Mark to be excited about. “We’re just about to do on a mini makeover of the main bar area just keep it looking at its impressive best," he says. “The pub is Grade II Listed so any alterations or works are challenging but we have hired a French polisher to re-do the bar and are having some new LED lighting fitted along with what should be a stunning new copper back to the bar. It should freshen everything up while still keeping it within the quirky mock-Tudor style that we are so famous for.
"We’re also gearing up for the summer and the banqueting hall is booked out almost every weekend. We’ve even got bookings into 2023.
“The last couple of years have been unimaginably tough as a result of the pandemic but it certainly feels like we’re on the other side of it now. Onwards and upwards!”
