Punch Taverns has confirmed its commitment to the growth market of pub food with a new key appointment.

Steven Schaffer joins the leased and tenanted pub company from Pubmaster – acquired by Punch last year – and will hold the position of catering development manager.

A fully qualified chef, Steve worked at Pubmaster for five years, firstly as a regional operations manager then as catering operations manager for the group.

He also has extensive experience in the foodservice market with companies including Booker Foodservice and Brake Bros.

Steve said one of his first priorities with Punch Taverns would be to help more retailers introduce some degree of food to their overall offering.

He said: “If you ask licensees why they don’t serve pub food, few will ever say it’s a lack of customer demand. In my experience, they are concerned about the set up costs, possessing the necessary skills and environmental health regulations.

“What we want to demonstrate is that Punch can help with all these issues, while today’s technology means you don’t have to be a gourmet chef to provide good quality food.

“Pub food is a real profit making opportunity for our retailers and we don’t want the fear factor to stop them fulfilling their potential.”

Steve and his team will be able to give retailers advice on training, equipment, menu development, sourcing food products and ingredients and successfully marketing a food offering.

He is also assessing all Punch’s existing food houses based on the type of food they serve – from traditional pub grub to restaurant style dishes – to identify growth opportunities.

“In a pub estate as broad and diverse as Punch Taverns you need to treat every retailer as an individual and offer sound advice that can help fuel business growth,” said Steve.

“If retailers are already into food we want to encourage them to try new ideas. And if they’re not, we want to work together to break down any barriers that could be holding them back.”

Steve Schaffer studied at Westminster Catering College, where he completed a chef’s course and achieved a diploma in Professional Catering. He set up his own catering business, ‘Just Desserts’, and worked in prestigious restaurants in London, Cincinnati and Grand Cayman.

He currently lives in Woodford Green, Essex, and presents a regular food slot on BBC Radio Essex.

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