During that time they have not only had to get to grips with running their own pub business but also manage the biggest transformation in licensing legislation too. But with the help and advice of Punch Taverns the couple are now reaping the benefits of greater trading flexibility.
“At first we were just baffled by the mountains of paperwork required to apply for a new licence and were extremely relieved when Punch offered a full service solution by handling the entire process on our behalf,” said Chris.
In fact Punch handled more licence applications than any other business in the country with over 90% of its retailers using its in-house Licensing Support Service.
Twelve months on and the Wittwers and their customers are enjoying the extra hour of trading they have at the end of the day by bringing the city to the village. They can now open until midnight Monday to Saturday and this has not only led to a more relaxed atmosphere but at weekends customers stay for the entire night at the Royal Oak.
“We are very much a community local and our customers use our pub to meet, socialise and be entertained. Before they used to travel into nearby Exeter city centre for a fun night out on the town but now they have it on their doorstep.
“We offer a full programme of entertainment, including live bands and singers, pool competitions, quizzes and karaoke.
“In addition, we have a growing food offer of freshly cooked traditional meals and the extra hour takes away the stress of rushing to meet the old 11pm closing time for both customers and staff,” said Chris.
He added: “An additional hour is more than enough as opening all hours wasn’t appropriate for our customer base or our location as a community local. Many of our neighbours are our regulars too and we wanted to make sure that we remained on good terms by not pushing the boundaries in terms of late night opening and potential subsequent noise issues.
“However, under the new regime, we have made use of applying for temporary extensions for special occasions such as Christmas and New Year when all the locals congregate at our pub anyway.”
But being able to open longer isn’t an automatic recipe for success, communicating the new times to customers has been just as important. The Wittwers have sought the advice of their Punch Taverns’ business relationship manager Chet Greenslade who they say has been a tower of strength in terms of support and guidance.
They have also made great use of the in-house Punch Promotional Service which has allowed them to market their events and new opening hours with very cost effective Point of Sale (POS) such as posters and flyers.
Overall the Wittwers consider the new licensing regime “so flexible its brilliant” although that alone hasn’t drastically had an impact on sales.
Chris added: “We have attracted new customers thanks to the flexibility we now have. However, people may stay in the pub longer but don’t necessarily drink more, they just pace themselves better – binge drinking is not a problem. Our biggest growth area has been food and the new relaxed atmosphere has allowed customers to enjoy a bite to eat followed by a stress-free drink.”
The couple now hope that one year on the licensing review panel will not impose further cost burdens on them. “We are a small business enterprise and already have to cope to with increasing costs from many angles, such as minimum wage and utilities to name just two, a further hike in licensing would, in our opinion, be unfair,” said Chris.
However, being optimists and exceptionally talented pub retailers, the Wittwers are now planning a New Year £100,000 facelift of which Punch is investing £85,000.
“We are having a total re-fit, which will include a bigger, better appointed kitchen and a new look exterior and interior, which we are confident will attract even more customers. We are considering using this as an opportunity to use the flexibility of the new licensing regime to open from 9am and meet the growing demand for coffee as well as serve breakfasts,” Chris concluded.