The Nook on the Square The Restaurant Man


The Nook on the Square

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The only thing that stands between success and failure

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at the moment is chance.

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Many of us fantasise about opening our own restaurant.

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But with restaurants up to three times more likely to fail

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than any other business, it's not for the faint-hearted.

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Opening a restaurant just to make money is wrong,

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but it's very important that it does make money.

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I'm Russell Norman.

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After years of dreaming,

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I set up a series of acclaimed restaurants that now serve

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half a million customers a year in the cut-throat London market.

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I'd definitely say that there are rules to opening and running a successful restaurant.

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You must know your numbers, you must do your research,

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you must be prepared to work very long hours.

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Now I'm helping six first timers gambling their life savings

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to start their own restaurants.

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I've got no food and I'm opening in less than 48 hours.

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It is work in progress, but it needs to be work that isn't in progress quite soon.

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From floor plans to finance, and menus to marketing -

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I'll have to shatter a few illusions.

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I mean, this is cute, but very impractical.

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I'll have to show it to him, cos it's almost inedible.

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What's the solution, Russell? Tell me! You get another plumber?

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That's exactly what you do.

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Each of these plucky entrepreneurs is hoping their new venture

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will give them a better life.

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You know, this is all mine - and isn't it gorgeous?

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Thank you.

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But unless they get every detail spot on,

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it could mean bankruptcy and personal disaster.

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I'm scared now, yeah. I'm very scared.

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This time, Kate's turning her home into a cafe.

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There's a lot of upheaval. That doesn't bother you?

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I like the idea of opening the doors to the public and sharing it.

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Family life will be turned upside down.

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BABY CRIES OK, sorry.

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She'll become her little sister's boss.

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She can be a bit of a control freak, she freely admits that.

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-It's your table.

-No, it's not my table.

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With no restaurant experience, can they cope with the pressure?

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Oh, my goodness me!

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And will anyone turn up on opening day?

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We went into this knowing it would be a crappy time,

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and we're in it, and it's crap.

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Britain's cafe culture is booming -

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in 2012 the coffee shop market in Britain grew by 7.5%,

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with sales of £5.8 billion.

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I'm heading to the Midlands to meet Kate,

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who wants to capitalise on Britain's increasing love of cafes

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by opening one with her sister in a small village

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in the heart of Warwickshire.

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We've lived in Dunchurch for about nine years,

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and ever since we moved in, really, there's never been anywhere like a cafe

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or anywhere you can get a good coffee. You know, have a good breakfast and lunch.

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So having spotted a gap in the market,

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Kate has made the radical decision

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to convert the downstairs of her beautiful family home into a cafe.

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For Kate, this was the one way she could pursue her dream,

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but keep her overheads to a minimum.

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This is the main dining room.

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We're going to have about 18 covers or so in here.

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So people will come in through the front door into here.

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About five tables in here of between three and four seats on each.

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I'm not sure that everybody would want to give up potentially

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a third of their house to let the general public come in,

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but I'm really looking forward to it.

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Kate also runs a marketing and design business from her home,

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so will be living and working above the cafe with her young family.

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Here we go.

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She's gambling all her savings and will own the business,

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but her sister, Alex, will run it.

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To do this, the mum of two, is giving up her career as a nurse.

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I'm nervous because I've got to leave my very secure, lovely job,

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with my nice pension and my nice holidays and my regular hours,

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to go and do something which is basically the unknown.

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Kate has more than enough to keep her busy upstairs,

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but will still be very hands-on in the business.

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Being the slight control freak that I am,

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it means that I'm only upstairs, and obviously if Alex needs me

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and I'm up here I can pop down and do whatever needs to be done.

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Kate and Alex have the full support of their families,

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but it's still going to take a lot to turn their dream into a reality.

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I think when you start any business it's a gamble.

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You never know for definite if something's going to work or not.

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You've just got to try, and if you don't try, you don't succeed.

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If people didn't try, there'd be no business anywhere.

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So somebody's got to take that risk at some point. Why not us?

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I mean, we're in a beautiful part of England.

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It's very quaint. Beautiful church, beautiful schoolhouse.

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There's a real sense of old England, a real sense of rural suburbia.

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There are three restaurants and two pubs serving food in Dunchurch,

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but as yet no cafe.

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There is either a very good reason for this, which is worrying,

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or Kate and Alex could be quids in if they get it right.

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It's 10.30 on a Monday morning,

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and I haven't seen a single person.

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With relatively low-price items, the one thing that cafes need

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is lots of customers.

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Dunchurch doesn't feel to me

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like the sort of place that's going to have an awful lot of footfall.

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I can't imagine more than a handful of people on a Monday morning

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or even a Monday afternoon wanting to sit down and spend money.

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Kate and Alex are ploughing ahead

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and plan to open The Nook in just eight weeks' time.

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With their builders about to start work, there's not a minute to waste.

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-Kate? I'm Russell.

-Hello, lovely to meet you.

-You too.

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-So this is it, this is the Nook.

-It is, yes.

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So where we're standing now is which part of the cafe?

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-This will be the main dining room.

-OK. It's a lovely room.

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-It's beautiful.

-I love those shutters.

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It's got a great position, you're right in the middle of the village.

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-Yeah.

-Right on the square. It's beautiful.

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-Shall we have a look around?

-OK.

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-And then we have the second dining room.

-Yeah.

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Oh, this is nice.

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Oh, what a beautiful room.

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Really wide, beautiful chimney breast and fireplace.

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So this is currently our family kitchen.

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But it will be the commercial kitchen.

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-So this is where everything is going to come from?

-It is.

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-Quite small, isn't it?

-Do you think?

-Yes!

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-This kitchen is being ripped out this week.

-OK.

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And then fitted out with lots of freestanding stainless steel units.

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So quite a big job, I would have thought. How long will that take?

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I don't know is the answer to that!

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This domestic kitchen will be relocated upstairs

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as Kate, her husband Dan, two kids and the cat

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will be crammed into the top floor and attic of the house.

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This is the top floor, which will be our new living room and kitchen.

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CAT MEOWS

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Wow. So, this is the eaves? We're in the roof?

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-How long have you had this house?

-Since May.

-OK, so six months.

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You move your family, and then six months later, you move them

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within the house that you've moved to, upside down.

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And then you put a business underneath the family home.

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There's a lot of upheaval.

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If it were me, I'd be thinking,

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all the time, about those fantastic rooms downstairs.

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And how I'm having to live in a smaller space

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at the top of the building. That doesn't bother you?

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I don't see it as small. I see it as quite cosy.

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You don't see it as an issue, as something that you might think later,

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further down the line, "Gosh, those lovely rooms?"

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-Um...

-Full of the public, that we can't get into now?

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Do you know what, I'm quite looking forward to sharing this house.

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I like the idea of opening the doors to the public and sharing it.

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When starting a new business,

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rent should not exceed 10% of turnover,

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but by running her business from home,

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her overheads will be low and Kate will be saving thousands.

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She has cottoned on to a growing trend.

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70% of the new businesses started up last year

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were from a garden shed or kitchen table.

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Kate's invested £20,000 which she hopes will cover the refurbishment

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and initial salaries for all employees including sister Alex.

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Fantastic.

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Thank you very much, Kate.

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-I'm Russell, by the way.

-Hi, I'm Alex. Pleased to meet you.

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You too. You're the sister I've heard all about,

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-you're going to be running the show.

-I am, apparently.

-Fantastic.

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-Let's talk about it over some scones, shall we?

-Okey-doke.

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So, Alex. Your plan is to give up your day job

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to do this full-time, is that right?

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-That is my plan.

-Why?

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I really like the idea of a family business, working for ourselves.

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I don't think there's anything quite like working for yourself.

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I think we both recognised there was nowhere like it, in Dunchurch.

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-Right.

-So that's where it came from.

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That's interesting, the business idea came about

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-because of a lack of something in this particular area.

-Yeah.

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When we did the business case, it was slightly scary,

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in how many covers you have to do in a day, in order to make any money.

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How many is that? What was your figure?

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We took an average of all the prices of everything on our typical menu.

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What was that? What was the average?

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About £5.50.

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And we've worked out we need to shift about 40, um...

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-sales a day before we start making any money.

-OK.

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Afternoon tea will be a key focus for the cafe

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but they have yet to decide just how extensive their menu will be.

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These scones, you talked about these being a signature.

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Yes, we decided to make them square,

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-because our name is The Nook on the Square.

-Yeah.

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So we thought it would be quite nice to have something a bit different.

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You mentioned something about the smell of freshly baked scones

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as you walk through the front door. Is that quite important?

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-It's my favourite cake, actually. So afternoon tea.

-Mm-hmm.

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When I was pregnant with my daughter, I pretended it was my craving,

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but it was just an excuse to eat more of them, really.

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So I love them.

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And I think if you do a really good signature scone,

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then I'm sure people will come back for more.

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'I'm impressed that Kate and Alex have spotted

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'a potential gap in the market,

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'but with so much at stake they need to be sure they can make a profit.'

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I worry about the number of people that would use

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an operation like this. It's very quiet out there on the streets.

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And a business like this needs to have

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a regular stream of customers to make it work.

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Everything being sold here is going to be reasonably low priced.

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Cups of tea, scones, cakes, sandwiches.

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It requires a constant stream of people using the place

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throughout the day and the week.

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And I just don't see that number of people on the streets.

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They have put so much into this and sacrificed so much for it

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that it would be a shame if all they did was open a tea shop

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that served a few cakes and sandwiches and scones.

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This needs to be so much more.

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They need to give these guys over here in the pub

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a run for their money by serving amazing food in a wonderful setting,

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a beautiful village in the middle of Warwickshire.

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I can quite clearly see where I can help Kate and Alex.

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Firstly I want to help these novices deliver excellent service

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that will keep their customers coming back.

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I also want to address the problem of spend per head,

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and make them more ambitious with their menu.

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But before any of that can happen,

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the sisters need to get their house in order...

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POWER TOOLS WHIRR

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Literally.

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No going back now!

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A week after my visit, building work is beginning in earnest.

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-That's a hole!

-That is a hole.

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-That's a big, big hole.

-A big, big hole.

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-What do you think? And there's a bit of a mess.

-Yeah.

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-Shall we get the Hoover out?

-Yeah.

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As I know from my own restaurant experience,

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Kate and Alex will have an enormous amount of work to do before opening.

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Oh, God, that's heavy!

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There's a lot to do. Literally, it's every day and every night.

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I'm trying to fit in my day job around this as well.

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Juggling all this with the demands of motherhood

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was never going to be easy.

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You don't know anyone that sort of does do supplies of butter

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and things locally, do you, at all?

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BABY CRIES OK, that's... Sorry!

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My biggest fear, or the guilt I feel the most,

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is that the kids are going to suffer.

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You know, we're trying to get on with stuff

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and they're being pushed to the side.

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That's the main thing really,

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cos I've still got to be a mum through all of this.

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And Kate and her family are crammed upstairs.

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You are being very rude and I don't like it one bit.

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Any more and you'll be asked to go downstairs.

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Already Kate and Alex are paying a high price for their dream,

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and I want it to be worth it.

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Of course opening a restaurant is tough,

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but I'm hoping my advice will give Kate and Alex

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the best possible chance of success.

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I'm also encouraging them to aim higher when it comes to

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their spend per head aspirations.

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But there's no point going for high spends

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if you don't have the excellent service required to back them up.

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To help Kate and Alex get their service right,

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I've asked them to come to London to see how it's done

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in one of the capital's most exclusive hotels.

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I'm at the Goring Hotel in central London.

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It's the granddaddy of traditional British hotels.

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And I'm meeting Kate and Alex,

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who are coming here today to serve afternoon tea.

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I think Alex and Kate are really full of energy.

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They've got such great ideas.

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But they need to see how it can be done,

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and how it can be done really well.

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These guys here do it fantastically well,

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and I really hope that Alex and Kate learn from them.

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The sisters are going to be serving afternoon tea,

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which can cost just shy of £100 for two.

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So you'd expect nothing less than top class service.

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This is a far cry from the world of marketing or nursing.

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Bar and lounge manager Brian will be taking them through their paces.

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So this, this afternoon,

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-is pretty much the training room, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

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The sequence of service is simple, it's the bits in between them.

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This is the bit we need to get right, guest interaction.

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At this level, every detail has been meticulously planned

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to make the service as seamless as possible,

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as Brian's staff demonstrate.

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Hello, gentlemen, good afternoon. This is our menu.

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-Is it your first time in the Goring for afternoon tea?

-Yes, first time.

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Right. So let me just explain our menu.

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We have the traditional afternoon tea and the Bollinger.

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And we have really delicious selections of teas.

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Have a look at the menu and feel free to choose everything you like.

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-Thank you very much, indeed.

-Oh, Lordy!

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So, the important information we need from you today,

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Kate and Alex, is to get the big smile, big hospitality,

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offering the menu and saying, we have a choice of two,

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Bollinger tea and traditional tea.

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We'll give you a few minutes to look at the menu

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and come back and take your order.

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Within two hours we've got to do a full service, so keep it simple.

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Keep it simple.

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Good afternoon. Welcome to the Goring. I'll give you your menu.

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-Thank you.

-We've got a choice of two afternoon teas today.

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The Bollinger tea and the traditional afternoon tea.

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So I shall leave you to look at the menu and I shall be back.

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OK, that's fine. You lost a little bit at the end.

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I'll just throw the...

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At a certain stage, you were trying to keep your eyes too much,

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that you weren't even seeing where you were putting your hands to get the napkin.

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As long as the eye contact is really when you arrive at the table,

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-with that big smile.

-Right.

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At that stage, it's OK to lose contact of the eye,

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you can then pick it up.

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It's easy doing marketing, I tell you! It's so complicated!

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That's quite intense.

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I think it doesn't help having eight people watching you as well.

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I didn't know how to do the napkins.

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I think I probably thought there was less involved in it

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than there actually is.

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The level of detail here seems really excessive.

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But when it comes to operating from Dunchurch,

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the girls are going to be doing something pretty similar.

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They're looking after customers who are coming in

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for an experience that needs to be consistent every time.

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So although this seems multi-layered, it's not going to be

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a million miles away from what they need to do.

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Have a little amuse-bouche for you, this is eggs Drumkilbo.

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This was the Queen Mother's favourite. Oh, my goodness!

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This is the Queen Mother's favourite picnic dish. And after she died...

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-PLATES RATTLE

-Oh, my goodness me!

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..Buckingham Palace gave us the recipe. I hope you enjoy.

0:17:160:17:19

-Oh, my God!

-You're like Mrs Doyle!

0:17:190:17:21

Everybody gets nervous.

0:17:210:17:23

Unfortunately, one of the worst things that you can be doing

0:17:230:17:26

when you've got nerves

0:17:260:17:27

and when you're a bit shaky is holding a tray of crockery.

0:17:270:17:30

It's pretty unforgiving and unfortunately a little bit comic.

0:17:300:17:34

Tea pouring next. That should be interesting.

0:17:340:17:36

Hot liquids, laps.

0:17:380:17:40

SHE LAUGHS

0:17:400:17:41

It'll be fine!

0:17:410:17:43

-CLATTERING

-Oh, sugar.

0:17:510:17:53

(Sorry!)

0:17:530:17:54

This is terrifying. This is one of the world's most respected hotels.

0:17:550:18:01

And Kate and Alex are going to be in front of real live paying customers

0:18:010:18:05

in just a few minutes. Kate seems a little bit jittery.

0:18:050:18:10

And that manifests itself in quite a wobble when she's pouring tea.

0:18:100:18:14

So I hope that she gets a bit of control over her nerves

0:18:140:18:18

so that there isn't the rattle and the wobble we experienced here.

0:18:180:18:21

So now what I want you to do is go get into your uniforms,

0:18:210:18:24

get ready and we'll see you upstairs ready for service.

0:18:240:18:28

-OK.

-OK.

0:18:280:18:29

This is a real test of how Kate and Alex react under pressure.

0:18:310:18:35

Their cream tea may cost a tenth of the price of the Goring's,

0:18:350:18:38

at £10 for two, but they need to work so much harder

0:18:380:18:42

in a rural location to pull in customers.

0:18:420:18:45

It's very nerve-racking being up here,

0:18:470:18:49

when you've got all the real customers looking,

0:18:490:18:51

and wondering what on earth we're doing.

0:18:510:18:54

And now I've got to pretend I know what I'm doing! So...

0:18:540:18:57

Hopefully, it'll all go fine.

0:18:570:18:59

-Hello there.

-CLATTERING

0:18:590:19:00

Oh, goodness me, sorry about that.

0:19:000:19:03

Good afternoon, ladies. Here we have your amuse-bouche.

0:19:030:19:06

They gave the recipe to the hotel here to, um...

0:19:060:19:10

I can't remember where I am!

0:19:100:19:12

-CUSTOMERS LAUGH

-It's fine!

0:19:120:19:13

I'm so sorry!

0:19:130:19:15

Enjoy. Thank you.

0:19:150:19:17

I forgot where I was!

0:19:170:19:19

I couldn't remember where I was.

0:19:190:19:22

OK with that amuse-bouche?

0:19:230:19:25

You'll be fine, don't worry.

0:19:250:19:27

-You'll be fine.

-Blimey. OK.

0:19:270:19:29

It was a favourite of the Queen Mother.

0:19:310:19:35

-Uh-huh.

-So it's here for you to try today.

0:19:350:19:38

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

0:19:400:19:42

Here we go, here we have your afternoon tea.

0:19:450:19:48

Are you getting more comfortable now?

0:19:480:19:50

Yeah, it is quite nerve-racking, to be honest.

0:19:500:19:53

But, you know, if you can do it here today,

0:19:530:19:55

under this kind of pressure, then it can only get easier, can't it?

0:19:550:19:59

The popularity of afternoon tea grew by 20% in the UK last year,

0:20:000:20:05

with some hotels in London charging £170 for two,

0:20:050:20:10

and with waiting lists for tables of up to seven weeks.

0:20:100:20:13

The girls are clearly tapping into a trend.

0:20:130:20:16

-Have a lovely afternoon.

-Thanks a lot.

0:20:160:20:18

I guess the golden question, then, is would you hire them?

0:20:180:20:21

Yeah, they have exactly what you want in the business.

0:20:210:20:24

They have big smile, they have personalities.

0:20:240:20:28

-That really is 90% of this business.

-Yeah.

0:20:280:20:30

I'm absolutely exhausted.

0:20:300:20:32

I think because you're out of your comfort zone,

0:20:320:20:35

it's not what you do every day.

0:20:350:20:36

It's been absolutely brilliant, because it's given us

0:20:360:20:39

a real insight into how to train people.

0:20:390:20:42

You know, even down to the tiniest detail.

0:20:420:20:45

The Goring hotel has been here for 103 years.

0:20:450:20:48

What they do here, they do so well

0:20:480:20:50

because they've had a very long time to practise.

0:20:500:20:53

In six weeks' time, the Nook will be open,

0:20:530:20:55

and it has a very short amount of time to establish itself.

0:20:550:20:58

So it's very important that Kate and Alex think very clearly

0:20:580:21:02

about what their offer is.

0:21:020:21:03

Six weeks will go very quickly indeed.

0:21:030:21:06

After the glamour and luxury of the Goring,

0:21:080:21:11

it's back to reality at the Nook.

0:21:110:21:14

It has crossed my mind that I should just run away

0:21:140:21:16

and not bother with any of this stuff.

0:21:160:21:17

But unfortunately that's not going to happen!

0:21:170:21:21

And this means working long hours.

0:21:210:21:24

Wife, mother,

0:21:270:21:30

painter and decorator, waitress, book-keeper,

0:21:300:21:34

yeah, I think that's it for today.

0:21:340:21:36

But there could be another addition to that list.

0:21:370:21:40

So the chef, we had a bit of a problem

0:21:410:21:44

because we're really struggling to find somebody.

0:21:440:21:48

You know, if we don't get one sorted...

0:21:480:21:50

soon, what we're going to have to do is learn all the dishes.

0:21:500:21:54

And then, if the worst comes to it, we'll do the chef's job

0:21:540:21:58

until such time as we can find someone.

0:21:580:22:00

That fills me with absolute joy, the thought of being a chef.

0:22:000:22:04

But, you know, needs must.

0:22:040:22:08

Hiring the right chef

0:22:110:22:13

and cracking the menu for The Nook is going to be key to their success.

0:22:130:22:18

In a restaurant, there is a relationship

0:22:180:22:20

between number of covers and spend per head,

0:22:200:22:23

and if you get that balance wrong,

0:22:230:22:25

you run the risk of working very long hours, absolutely flat out,

0:22:250:22:29

and only just about breaking even, and that's not much fun.

0:22:290:22:32

Kate and Alex's menu is their mission statement,

0:22:410:22:43

and it needs a bit of je ne sais quoi.

0:22:430:22:46

So I've brought them to Paris, the centre of cafe culture,

0:22:460:22:49

to inspire them to think bigger.

0:22:490:22:52

The girls are planning to serve breakfast

0:22:550:22:57

and an extensive afternoon tea menu,

0:22:570:23:00

but I want them to make The Nook into

0:23:000:23:02

so much more than just a tea shop

0:23:020:23:03

and give them some really delicious and unique ideas

0:23:030:23:07

to expand their lunch menu.

0:23:070:23:08

Rose Bakery is a renowned boulangarie

0:23:120:23:14

owned by Jean-Charles and his wife Rose.

0:23:140:23:17

-Hi, I'm Alex, pleased to meet you.

-Good morning, lovely to meet you.

0:23:170:23:20

Synonymous with fresh, home-made, impeccably sourced ingredients,

0:23:200:23:24

its quiches are legendary.

0:23:240:23:26

I'm hoping this small independent operator will inspire them.

0:23:260:23:30

If there's one thing that I want the girls to take back,

0:23:300:23:33

it's a renewed and invigorated passion for food.

0:23:330:23:37

I want them to see that they can prepare delicious

0:23:370:23:40

savoury dishes like the quiche,

0:23:400:23:42

in an environment like The Nook, and really make a name for themselves.

0:23:420:23:45

Every day, we do every single thing fresh.

0:23:470:23:51

We start selling at 11am, finish at 3pm and everything is sold out.

0:23:510:23:55

And we start again the next day, every single day.

0:23:550:23:58

We're here to learn how to make the famous quiches.

0:23:580:24:01

They're relatively cheap and easy to make,

0:24:010:24:05

and if done well, can be really profitable.

0:24:050:24:08

So we start here by putting the cream together.

0:24:080:24:12

One litre of cream, five eggs and one yolk.

0:24:120:24:15

So the first egg, you're forgetting...

0:24:150:24:19

You forget the white, I see.

0:24:190:24:21

'The secret trick of making these quiches so memorable

0:24:210:24:25

'is to take out one egg white in every six to make them creamier.'

0:24:250:24:30

-This recipe is now 20 years old.

-Right, OK.

0:24:300:24:34

-How much salt and pepper?

-Two big pinches.

-Of each?

-Yeah.

0:24:350:24:39

We don't measure here, it's all like that.

0:24:390:24:41

-So there's still loads of yolks in the bottom there.

-Yeah.

0:24:410:24:45

You've got to work a bit harder than that, I think, Alex.

0:24:450:24:48

-I don't want to throw it everywhere!

-Don't, but give it a bit more welly.

0:24:480:24:51

-JEAN-CHARLES CHUCKLES

-That's it.

0:24:510:24:54

The next stage, you have to see that the quiches are not going to leak.

0:24:540:24:58

So you put them through the light like that.

0:24:580:25:00

-Mm-hmm.

-Seriously?

-Yeah.

0:25:000:25:02

-So what are you looking for?

-I'm looking for holes.

0:25:020:25:05

-So no holes.

-No. If it's holes,

0:25:050:25:06

that's not going to be a quiche, is it?

0:25:060:25:09

I've never held quiche pastry into the light before.

0:25:090:25:11

-This is a first for me.

-Can you see?

0:25:110:25:13

I feel faintly ridiculous.

0:25:130:25:15

What they do at Rose Bakery stands on a firm food ethos.

0:25:180:25:22

Fresh ingredients sourced from the market, cooked daily.

0:25:220:25:25

And this means the number of quiches is limited.

0:25:250:25:29

And that creates demand.

0:25:290:25:32

So how many of these do you make and sell in a day?

0:25:320:25:35

So, on the week, on the weekdays,

0:25:350:25:38

we sell 48. And when it's finished, it's finished.

0:25:380:25:41

And what sort of time of the day do they normally sell out,

0:25:410:25:43

-or do they sometimes last?

-2.30pm.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Create the demand.

0:25:430:25:48

-Exactly, yeah.

-Create the demand,

0:25:480:25:50

and make sure that people understand the exceptional thing as well.

0:25:500:25:54

-They are just not, like, coming out of the freezer.

-Absolutely.

0:25:540:25:57

By having 48, and 48 only, you're saying, this is it.

0:25:570:26:00

They're fresh, this is what we've got. When they've gone they've gone.

0:26:000:26:03

-Yeah. They're gone, they're gone.

-I can see your mind working.

-Yeah.

0:26:030:26:07

-It's all going in.

-I can hear the cogs whirring, it's incredible.

0:26:070:26:10

We have a tradition that we do bacon quiche.

0:26:100:26:13

-Does it surprise you how generous it is?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

0:26:130:26:17

Really gives a strong sense of getting your money's worth

0:26:170:26:19

-and then some.

-It's so packed full, it's lovely to see.

0:26:190:26:24

This is something that, I mean,

0:26:240:26:25

I don't see this sort of thing in London.

0:26:250:26:27

This real attention to detail.

0:26:270:26:29

The sort of attitude to food

0:26:290:26:31

that comes from baking rather than cooking.

0:26:310:26:33

You know, this is as good, I think, as any restaurant meal

0:26:330:26:36

but it's the sort of thing you rarely see in restaurants

0:26:360:26:38

because it's considered the realm of the bakery.

0:26:380:26:41

At The Nook, in Dunchurch, you have an opportunity to do something

0:26:410:26:45

fantastically well, like this.

0:26:450:26:47

Packed full of local, seasonal ingredients,

0:26:470:26:50

that I think has the opportunity to blow your customers away.

0:26:500:26:54

'Not only is this fabulous food,

0:26:540:26:55

'but dishes like this will enable Kate and Alex

0:26:550:26:58

'to charge more per dish,

0:26:580:27:00

'and increase that crucial spend per head.'

0:27:000:27:02

-And...in.

-Done!

-Well done.

-Job done.

0:27:020:27:06

I'm hoping that they go back to Dunchurch with a renewed sense

0:27:070:27:10

of what they're doing and a renewed purpose. It's not just a tea room.

0:27:100:27:14

It can't just be serving cakes and scones and jam.

0:27:140:27:18

It needs to be more than that.

0:27:180:27:20

I've just got loads and loads of ideas going on in my head now.

0:27:200:27:22

And things we can take home.

0:27:220:27:25

Wow!

0:27:250:27:27

-They look fantastic, don't they?

-Yeah.

0:27:270:27:29

-That's a thing of beauty, isn't it?

-It really is.

0:27:290:27:32

-Mm.

-It's good.

-And the veg has still got a bit of bite.

0:27:340:27:37

There's an opportunity on your menu for something more than just

0:27:370:27:41

the things that go with tea.

0:27:410:27:43

The scones, and the cakes, and the typical English tea shop fare.

0:27:430:27:47

What we've got here, I think, is still very consistent

0:27:470:27:50

with your baking ethos and very consistent with your tea shop ethos,

0:27:500:27:53

but something that is, I think,

0:27:530:27:55

going to elevate you to a different status.

0:27:550:27:58

Back in Warwickshire Kate and Alex, inspired by their trip to Paris,

0:28:060:28:10

are hunting down the very best local suppliers for their menu.

0:28:100:28:15

Do you do delivery or anything like that?

0:28:150:28:18

-You can order online.

-Yeah.

-OK.

0:28:180:28:19

-Shall we take a couple of bits to try?

-Mm.

0:28:200:28:23

Lovely, thank you very much.

0:28:240:28:26

-Good luck with it.

-Thank you.

0:28:260:28:29

But the build is nowhere near finished.

0:28:290:28:33

There is a lot to do in five and a half weeks.

0:28:330:28:37

Got to get some staff, that's quite a big thing.

0:28:370:28:39

So, a chef, waitress.

0:28:390:28:42

Obviously, there's loads of decorating to do.

0:28:420:28:44

All the floors need redoing.

0:28:440:28:47

Um, the kitchen has got nothing in it.

0:28:470:28:51

We've blown our building budget by about five grand.

0:28:510:28:55

I'm just worried about the things I haven't thought of yet.

0:28:550:28:58

But, yeah, if I actually sit back and think about it,

0:28:580:29:01

I realise we've probably taken on far too much.

0:29:010:29:03

You say it's going to be tough,

0:29:030:29:04

but actually it's not till you're in it

0:29:040:29:06

that you realise, actually, this is quite horrible at times.

0:29:060:29:10

With opening day looming, the build is pressing.

0:29:100:29:13

But it's only one of a long list of things still to be done.

0:29:130:29:17

After their trip to Paris, their menu is starting to take shape

0:29:190:29:23

but will their potential customers like the dishes they plan to serve?

0:29:230:29:28

I've suggested we do some market research in the village.

0:29:280:29:32

The great thing about The Nook is it's in the centre of a village.

0:29:340:29:37

In the centre of a community.

0:29:370:29:39

What we're doing today is bringing the food of The Nook

0:29:390:29:42

into the village itself to see if the locals like it.

0:29:420:29:45

And most importantly, to see what they're willing to pay for it.

0:29:450:29:48

Right, oven on.

0:29:480:29:50

Set.

0:29:520:29:53

Good.

0:29:540:29:56

It may sound really obvious, but price point is essential.

0:29:560:29:58

If you make things too expensive, no-one's going to come.

0:29:580:30:01

Too cheap, you're not going to make any money.

0:30:010:30:03

As we learnt in Paris I've just got to fill them up with mixture.

0:30:030:30:07

I want Kate and Alex to find out whether the prices that they

0:30:070:30:11

want to charge are the same as what the villagers expect to pay.

0:30:110:30:16

-C'est parfait.

-That looks lovely. Last one, then.

-Yep.

-OK.

0:30:160:30:22

-What have we got?

-We've got a selection.

0:30:260:30:29

-You've got your square quiches.

-We have!

-I love it. Look at those.

0:30:290:30:32

They look fantastic. And what else do we have? What's this?

0:30:320:30:35

-This is ribollita, Italian soup.

-Fantastic.

0:30:350:30:40

Over here, this is a pork and fennel stew.

0:30:400:30:44

-The bread has come from our baker, fresh this morning.

-Looks lovely.

0:30:440:30:48

On the subject of feedback and on the subject of pricing,

0:30:480:30:52

what I've got for you are some little feedback forms

0:30:520:30:55

that I hope will help you to get the prices right.

0:30:550:30:58

OK. Fantastic. Thank you for that.

0:30:580:31:00

Kate and Alex are thinking of selling

0:31:000:31:04

their Parisian inspired quiches for £5,

0:31:040:31:08

their soups for around £4.50 and the stew for £6.

0:31:080:31:13

And they're hoping to make 65% profit margin

0:31:130:31:17

on each of their dishes.

0:31:170:31:19

But so far they haven't got any takers.

0:31:190:31:22

How do you think the villagers are going to find out we're here?

0:31:220:31:25

-We're going to go round.

-We're going to have to go and find them.

0:31:250:31:27

-Make them come to us.

-I think that's probably a very good idea.

0:31:270:31:31

I'm hoping my fear about the lack of customers in Dunchurch

0:31:310:31:34

isn't going to be proved to be right.

0:31:340:31:36

There's free food and no-one's around to eat it.

0:31:360:31:40

Hello.

0:31:430:31:45

I'm Kate, I'm from The Nook.

0:31:450:31:47

We're going a taste test of the food we're going to be serving.

0:31:470:31:50

We're doing a selection of the kind of things we'll be serving.

0:31:500:31:52

-That's nice.

-We're looking for some feedback.

0:31:520:31:55

-Please come over and bring as many as you like.

-What is it?

0:31:550:31:58

-You'll find out.

-OK.

0:31:580:32:01

-'Finally, some customers!'

-Blimey!

0:32:010:32:03

You've got a crowd! Get your pinny on!

0:32:030:32:05

We've got quiches, we've got ribollita,

0:32:050:32:08

-we've got a pork and fennel stew.

-What's it for?

0:32:080:32:12

We're opening a cafe, The Nook, so it's just a taster.

0:32:120:32:14

What we want you to do is try it and tell us what you think of it

0:32:140:32:17

and how much you think you'd pay.

0:32:170:32:20

-Tasty?

-Gorgeous.

-Good.

-Pork's nice and tender.

-Very good.

0:32:200:32:24

-It's nice. Very nice.

-So, that was 9/10.

0:32:240:32:28

-Very good.

-Gosh, that's a good start.

0:32:280:32:31

And £4.50 for the quiche.

0:32:310:32:33

-What do you think you'd pay for something like that?

-£5 or £5.50.

0:32:330:32:37

-OK.

-OK.

0:32:370:32:39

It's really good. It's different.

0:32:390:32:42

One of the items on their menu looks to be shaping up

0:32:460:32:49

to being a real success.

0:32:490:32:51

This one is bacon and tomato with a little bit of black pudding.

0:32:520:32:55

This is goat's cheese and tomato and chive.

0:32:550:32:59

-That's amazing.

-Do real men eat quiche? They do now!

0:32:590:33:02

I'm eating one, yeah, so I guess they do, yeah.

0:33:020:33:06

It's proper food. It's not mass produced.

0:33:060:33:09

-Kate and Alex, we have a 10/10 over here! Wow!

-Mm.

0:33:090:33:14

-That's superb.

-Yeah?

-Very nice.

0:33:150:33:18

In a restaurant environment,

0:33:180:33:20

what do you think you'd pay for something like that?

0:33:200:33:22

For something like that? £5 or £5.50.

0:33:220:33:24

-I would say £10.

-Just under £10?

0:33:240:33:27

-I think so.

-That's really encouraging, thank you.

0:33:270:33:30

That's three dishes from their menu that have the local seal of approval

0:33:300:33:34

and they are prepared to pay decent money for them.

0:33:340:33:38

Given my concerns about the lack of footfall in the village,

0:33:380:33:41

I'm pleased to see such a crowd.

0:33:410:33:44

I'll have to remember that one and come over!

0:33:440:33:46

I think this event's gone really well today.

0:33:480:33:50

A lot of people were very interested

0:33:500:33:52

and curious to know what Kate and Alex were doing.

0:33:520:33:55

A lot of people came out of their homes and out of the shops.

0:33:550:33:57

The feedback was very, very good

0:33:570:34:00

but the standout dish for me was the quiche.

0:34:000:34:03

I tried all three of the quiches and they were exceptional.

0:34:030:34:06

I mean really, really good.

0:34:060:34:08

This exercise, for me, is very useful to find out whether people

0:34:110:34:14

like your food - and they clearly do -

0:34:140:34:16

but I think the really interesting part

0:34:160:34:18

is going to be what people will pay for it.

0:34:180:34:20

-Shall we look at the feedback?

-Yes.

-OK. Quiche, 9/10.

0:34:200:34:23

-Very good. And they would be willing to pay £4.50.

-OK.

0:34:230:34:28

That was lower than I thought.

0:34:280:34:31

Quiche, 10/10. Excellent. £4.

0:34:310:34:34

-Pork and fennel stew, 11/10.

-Wow!

0:34:340:34:37

-And a very low £3.50.

-Yeah.

0:34:370:34:40

Pork and fennel stew. Really yummy. £6.95. Is that more in your region?

0:34:400:34:44

-That's exactly what I'd have written.

-Quiche and slaw 8/10. £7.

0:34:440:34:49

-Wow.

-Quiche, 10/10. £9.

0:34:490:34:53

Cheese and onion quiche and soup, 8/10.

0:34:530:34:57

£6 for the quiche, soup £4.50. Stew, 10/10. £6.

0:34:570:35:01

I wasn't nervous until we got out here

0:35:040:35:07

and I thought it could go one of two ways.

0:35:070:35:09

But fortunately it went the right way.

0:35:090:35:12

We've had such fantastic feedback

0:35:130:35:15

and very good feedback on the pricing as well.

0:35:150:35:18

At least we know we're on the right track

0:35:180:35:20

and people aren't expecting really cheap or really expensive.

0:35:200:35:24

So it's been really good for that.

0:35:240:35:26

At least we know we're in the right ballpark, don't we?

0:35:260:35:29

They may not have a chef yet but it's clear they can turn out

0:35:290:35:33

good food that people are prepared to pay the right price for.

0:35:330:35:37

But with the opening looming,

0:35:370:35:38

I'm keen to see how the build is coming along.

0:35:380:35:41

There's lots of change, isn't there?

0:35:410:35:43

Oh, you've knocked a hole in the wall! OK.

0:35:430:35:46

I'm completely sold.

0:35:460:35:47

This is great because it does what was missing from the building,

0:35:470:35:50

which is connect the back and the front, the two areas.

0:35:500:35:53

-So even without going backwards, I feel connected.

-Yeah.

0:35:530:35:56

You can see through, you're going to be able to hear people

0:35:560:35:59

talking and chattering and laughing in here and it's going to

0:35:590:36:02

make such a difference to your business in terms of

0:36:020:36:04

feeling like one space rather than two spaces separated by a corridor.

0:36:040:36:08

In their new kitchen, Kate and Alex drop a bit of a bombshell.

0:36:080:36:12

We've come to the conclusion we're going to have to be

0:36:120:36:15

in the kitchen because it's been really hard to find someone

0:36:150:36:19

that wants to work the hours we need them to work.

0:36:190:36:23

-It means you're putting even more on your plate, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

0:36:230:36:26

That's going to have to be how we start out and once we've

0:36:260:36:29

found our feet and know what we're doing,

0:36:290:36:31

then maybe we'll look again at getting someone else in.

0:36:310:36:34

But at the moment I just know it's going to end up

0:36:340:36:37

with you and me in here!

0:36:370:36:39

But that's what we're working on,

0:36:390:36:41

because if that's worst case scenario and we work to that,

0:36:410:36:44

we'll be OK. At least we'll be prepared.

0:36:440:36:47

I think they'd be mad to run the kitchen.

0:36:470:36:50

There's just so much work involved.

0:36:500:36:52

They've got all the front of house responsibilities on their shoulders,

0:36:520:36:55

they've got the weight of the business there too and now they've

0:36:550:36:59

got those responsibilities that a head chef would normally take on.

0:36:590:37:02

In order to make that work they must make sure that their systems are as

0:37:020:37:05

slick as can be and that the kitchen is run as efficiently as possible.

0:37:050:37:09

I don't think they have any idea

0:37:120:37:14

what working in a professional kitchen involves.

0:37:140:37:17

So I'm going to put them to the ultimate test.

0:37:170:37:19

Breakfast is often cited as one of the most deceptively

0:37:210:37:24

difficult dishes to pull off.

0:37:240:37:26

So where better to get a crash course

0:37:260:37:29

than The Pit Stop Cafe in Chippenham,

0:37:290:37:32

where Ally serves around 200 hungry truckers virtually single-handedly.

0:37:320:37:38

-200 breakfasts. Are you ready?

-No!

0:37:380:37:40

Pinnies and I think we should get started!

0:37:410:37:44

I can see the truckers arriving, hungry and ready. Let's go.

0:37:440:37:48

-Are mornings generally the busiest period?

-I would say so.

0:37:510:37:55

Breakfast, they go on a 45 minute break.

0:37:550:37:57

In, have something to eat and gone again.

0:37:570:38:00

-First order.

-Here we go.

-One large breakfast. Sorry. I was just...

0:38:000:38:05

THEY LAUGH

0:38:050:38:07

-If you want to do this, then? Practise the eggs as well.

-Right.

0:38:070:38:10

-What's going on here?

-It's two eggs and beans.

-Two eggs and beans.

0:38:100:38:15

-Take two eggs.

-Is that the right temperature?

0:38:150:38:17

I always keep it on about three and a half.

0:38:170:38:19

'I want Kate and Alex to realise that professional cooking'

0:38:190:38:22

is all about having a system.

0:38:220:38:24

Even in a small place like this that's doing massive numbers

0:38:240:38:28

- I mean, 200 breakfasts is huge -

0:38:280:38:31

it needs a way of doing things

0:38:310:38:33

that's as efficient as it can possibly be.

0:38:330:38:35

You've got another order in.

0:38:350:38:37

Ally is really efficient. You know, she's one person.

0:38:370:38:40

-Just keep your eye on things.

-Yeah. Just keep your eye on it.

0:38:400:38:44

With a little team of washer-uppers and prep chefs back here,

0:38:440:38:48

she's got to be serving pretty much single-handedly 200 customers today.

0:38:480:38:52

That's really efficient.

0:38:520:38:54

Breakfast is a particular challenge because it has lots of component

0:38:560:38:59

parts all with different cooking times that need to be synchronised.

0:38:590:39:04

Two eggs for that one.

0:39:040:39:06

Ally's system is as the orders come in the eggs and toast are put on.

0:39:060:39:11

Just put another egg on. They do break.

0:39:110:39:15

They cook while all the other pre-cooked items like sausages

0:39:150:39:19

and bacon are plated up.

0:39:190:39:21

And when the eggs are done,

0:39:210:39:23

just put your eggs up and then that's ready to go.

0:39:230:39:25

Once finished, the eggs and toast go on

0:39:250:39:28

'then the order goes out - simple but well organised.'

0:39:280:39:31

-So two down, 198 to go.

-Yup.

0:39:310:39:35

-Number eight.

-Can you do my toast, Alex?

0:39:370:39:39

-Alex, are you hacking a bit at that toast?

-Shush!

0:39:410:39:43

Ally, can I just check, is that acceptable? With all the sort of...

0:39:430:39:47

It's a little compromised, let's say, in the middle.

0:39:470:39:49

So this is a reject.

0:39:490:39:51

I'm swapping you round in a minute!

0:39:530:39:55

Effectively, Alex and Kate are kitchen novices.

0:39:550:39:59

They've never worked in a commercial environment before

0:39:590:40:01

and kitchens are always stressful.

0:40:010:40:04

But what's important is that the stress is channelled

0:40:040:40:06

and it's used to create the right sort of energy to get

0:40:060:40:09

the food out while it's tasty, hot and in good time.

0:40:090:40:12

My goodness! I'm scared.

0:40:120:40:14

Just do them one at a time if you need to.

0:40:140:40:16

-Is that all right? It's only my first one.

-Exactly. It'll be fine.

0:40:160:40:20

-Traditional breakfast.

-Beans, tomato.

0:40:210:40:24

Why is it the minute I take over it goes mental?

0:40:250:40:28

Ow!

0:40:390:40:41

So how confident do you feel about doing that at the minute?

0:40:430:40:45

-It's about organisation and systems.

-Yeah.

-Having a good system.

0:40:450:40:48

You've hit the nail on the head. It's all about organisation.

0:40:480:40:51

It's all about systems.

0:40:510:40:53

It's all about the machinery and mechanics of your kitchen space.

0:40:530:40:56

And I think the preparation you need to do before you open

0:40:560:40:59

is thinking very carefully about how that's going to work,

0:40:590:41:02

rather than waiting until you've got your first customer

0:41:020:41:04

sitting at The Nook and you think, "Oh, crikey! What do we do?"

0:41:040:41:08

A little bit of thought and sitting down with your menu

0:41:080:41:10

and looking at your kitchen space and your equipment

0:41:100:41:12

is all you're going to need in order to have the best chance

0:41:120:41:16

of success and the best chance of getting it right from the beginning.

0:41:160:41:19

I soon learn that after sleeping on it,

0:41:250:41:28

Alex and Kate have made a decision.

0:41:280:41:30

We've decided to try and take the pressure off a little bit

0:41:300:41:33

and go forward and look for a chef.

0:41:330:41:36

If it doesn't work out, we know we can work around it

0:41:360:41:40

but I think it would take a huge amount of pressure off us.

0:41:400:41:43

It's definitely the right decision, but finding a great chef

0:41:450:41:49

is one more headache amongst many

0:41:490:41:51

with the opening less than three weeks away.

0:41:510:41:54

It feels horrendous.

0:41:540:41:56

It feels like there's so much stuff to do and so little time.

0:41:560:42:00

We need about a million workmen crawling over the place.

0:42:000:42:04

I'm having a few sleepless nights cos I don't think it's

0:42:040:42:07

progressing as fast as it needs to. Kate's project manager.

0:42:070:42:10

It just makes sense cos she's here all the time - it's her house.

0:42:100:42:13

But I think my role is to come in and say, "Right.

0:42:130:42:16

"Come on, we need to know exactly what's going on now."

0:42:160:42:19

That's how I feel at the minute.

0:42:190:42:21

I think there's not enough action for me right now.

0:42:210:42:24

-Coats on, please. Have you got your shoes on?

-Whee!

0:42:240:42:27

It's a nightmare, actually, trying to juggle a day job

0:42:270:42:30

and then children and running a house

0:42:300:42:34

and then trying to do the cafe, basically, in our spare time.

0:42:340:42:38

Felix, wait for Mum!

0:42:380:42:40

The last thing I want to do is lose clients

0:42:410:42:43

because I've been ignoring them.

0:42:430:42:45

I knew it was going to be hard and it is hard.

0:42:450:42:47

We went into this knowing it would be a few weeks of a really

0:42:470:42:52

crappy time and we're in it and it's crap, but, you know.

0:42:520:42:55

But despite how tough it is,

0:43:080:43:10

Kate and Alex soldier on, battling through until their opening.

0:43:100:43:14

OK, menu we have done.

0:43:140:43:16

I've just got to do a drinks menu cos we forgot to put the drinks on.

0:43:160:43:20

Right. So, drinks menu and print.

0:43:200:43:22

The kitchen is finally installed, along with a chef.

0:43:230:43:28

We've been test running a few dishes already for a couple of days

0:43:290:43:34

and, erm...yahoo! I'm OK.

0:43:340:43:36

I'm happy with it and looking forward very much.

0:43:360:43:39

They rope in partners, family and friends.

0:43:390:43:42

Everyone's pulling together and making sure it happens.

0:43:420:43:45

We couldn't have done it without them all. They've been amazing.

0:43:450:43:48

But there's one more crucial thing to do before opening.

0:43:480:43:50

Without customers none of their hard work will have been worth it

0:43:500:43:54

so Kate and Alex head into the village to spread the word.

0:43:540:43:58

Alex and I have about 1,000 fliers here that we're going to be giving

0:43:580:44:01

out to all the houses in the village to tell them that we're opening.

0:44:010:44:06

-I can't believe we're doing it!

-I can't believe we got here!

0:44:080:44:11

-Mind you, we haven't done it yet, have we?

-No!

0:44:110:44:13

-I'm just shattered.

-Too tired to be nervous?

0:44:130:44:17

Right, come on, then.

0:44:170:44:19

Finally, after months of planning and hard work,

0:44:320:44:35

it's Kate and Alex's opening day.

0:44:350:44:38

This is the biggest marketing opportunity they'll ever get.

0:44:380:44:42

First impressions can make or break you in this business

0:44:420:44:46

and word will spread fast in a small community.

0:44:460:44:49

I'm here to see how they get on.

0:44:490:44:51

-Kate, how are you?

-Well. How are you?

-Very well indeed.

0:45:080:45:11

-Hi, Alex.

-Hi.

-Well, here we are. Congratulations.

-Thank you.

0:45:110:45:17

-You're about to open.

-I know!

-How does that feel?

0:45:170:45:20

-Bit nerve racking.

-This is a big moment.

0:45:200:45:23

-I know. All this hard work and this is the bit that matters.

-Exactly.

0:45:230:45:28

-We want to get it right. No pressure, though.

-Oh, my God!

0:45:280:45:31

And they are being well supported by their family with a cousin serving,

0:45:310:45:36

Kate's husband Dan helping in the kitchen

0:45:360:45:38

and her mother-in-law doing the coffee.

0:45:380:45:41

And it's just as well

0:45:420:45:44

because there's actually a queue forming outside.

0:45:440:45:47

-Hello.

-Good morning.

0:45:520:45:55

It certainly looks like all that flyering paid off.

0:45:550:45:59

The whole village has turned up to see The Nook.

0:45:590:46:02

-Morning.

-Hello!

0:46:020:46:04

There might not be enough seats.

0:46:130:46:15

Would you like to go through to the next room? There's another room.

0:46:150:46:18

-Keep going.

-This is incredible!

0:46:180:46:20

Kate and Alex have been open for literally one minute

0:46:200:46:24

and I've counted 30 people walking through the door.

0:46:240:46:26

There's not enough seats for them already.

0:46:260:46:29

And it doesn't let up. People just keep on coming.

0:46:320:46:36

Every table is full, there's a queue outside.

0:46:390:46:42

I can see about six or eight people waiting.

0:46:460:46:49

-And yet more and more customers pile through the door.

-How are you?

0:46:490:46:52

Good, thanks. How are you?

0:46:520:46:54

I had no idea it was going to be this busy, I have to be honest.

0:46:540:46:57

Dunchurch has always struck me as a very sleepy, quiet place.

0:46:570:47:00

Where have all these people come from?

0:47:000:47:04

They are oversubscribed and they've only just opened.

0:47:040:47:07

It's great, it really is fantastic.

0:47:070:47:10

The rush takes them by surprise.

0:47:100:47:12

In the trade we call it "being slammed"

0:47:120:47:15

when everyone arrives at once.

0:47:150:47:17

We've got 30 people sitting down all wanting something at the same time.

0:47:170:47:21

It's going to put pressure on the kitchen,

0:47:210:47:23

and put pressure on the front of house staff.

0:47:230:47:25

What did table four order? Cos I haven't got drinks for table three.

0:47:250:47:28

Water and a coffee.

0:47:280:47:30

-And a cinnamon bun?

-Yeah.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

0:47:300:47:34

Two lattes, a pomegranate tea,

0:47:340:47:36

and an Earl Grey tea with no milk, please.

0:47:360:47:38

The orders are mounting up

0:47:390:47:41

but the hot drinks just aren't coming out quickly enough.

0:47:410:47:44

We've been waiting about 20 minutes for two teas and two buns.

0:47:440:47:49

But they did say that they'd had a big rush

0:47:490:47:51

and weren't expecting this many people to turn up.

0:47:510:47:54

We're quite happy nattering so it doesn't bother us.

0:47:540:47:57

It's Kate's mother-in-law Sue who's manning the coffee machine

0:47:570:48:00

but despite three days of training

0:48:000:48:02

she's struggling with the mocha-chocka-skinny lattes.

0:48:020:48:06

It's been a nightmare. It used to just be coffee in my day.

0:48:060:48:11

I need... I still need my Americano and my latte.

0:48:110:48:14

-It's not what you want at my age!

-Have you used one of these before?

0:48:140:48:18

-No, never!

-OK.

-I've been practising this week.

-Have you?

0:48:180:48:22

Suddenly, all the real specialities came in first time.

0:48:220:48:26

-Double this, skinny that.

-Oh, really?

0:48:260:48:28

-Were you expecting that?

-No.

-No.

-Oh, well.

0:48:280:48:30

Kate, I know they haven't had their drinks

0:48:300:48:34

but I'm worried it's getting cold, isn't it?

0:48:340:48:37

This is for these guys, table five.

0:48:370:48:40

I'm a bit worried that the food's coming out nice and quick

0:48:420:48:45

but the drinks are very, very slow indeed.

0:48:450:48:48

Can we have those back in the oven for a bit? Sorry.

0:48:480:48:51

They were ordered about ten minutes ago.

0:48:510:48:53

Yeah, but the drinks aren't ready and it looks terrible

0:48:530:48:56

if you send the food out before the drinks.

0:48:560:48:58

You're obviously ahead of us, I'm afraid.

0:48:580:49:00

-One coffee with warm milk.

-Yes, thank you.

-And one latte macchiato.

0:49:080:49:12

Thank you.

0:49:120:49:14

So, just as the queue finishes, there's another one starting.

0:49:140:49:18

Hello. Do come in.

0:49:210:49:23

-It's cold out there, isn't it?

-It is. It's freezing.

0:49:240:49:28

-It's relentless. There's more. Hello.

-Hiya.

0:49:300:49:33

Thanks.

0:49:330:49:35

-Hello, there. Hi, there.

-Hello.

0:49:350:49:39

Who did table one?

0:49:390:49:41

-Alex?

-I can just tell you if you like,

0:49:420:49:46

but I can't finish off one job for the other, OK?

0:49:460:49:48

The sheer volume of customers arriving through the door,

0:49:480:49:52

threatens to overwhelm Kate and Alex.

0:49:520:49:55

We've been waiting a little while but it's not unreasonable

0:49:560:50:00

because they've only just opened and they are extremely busy.

0:50:000:50:04

-It's your table.

-No, it's not my table.

0:50:040:50:06

You said you'd take the back room.

0:50:060:50:08

The Nook has two rooms and Kate and Alex

0:50:080:50:11

had planned to take charge of one room each.

0:50:110:50:14

When you've got allocated spaces and allocated sections

0:50:140:50:16

it's important to stick to them, just to stop bumping into each other

0:50:160:50:19

and to stop too many people doing the same thing.

0:50:190:50:22

Are you ready to order?

0:50:220:50:24

I was going to say, are your systems holding up, Alex?

0:50:250:50:28

-Yup.

-What systems? Ha-ha!

0:50:280:50:31

Despite everything they learned at the Goring Hotel,

0:50:310:50:35

Kate and Alex have panicked and abandoned the system of service.

0:50:350:50:38

-Alex, can you do the till?

-I'm going.

0:50:380:50:41

OK. Is it two ladies? Do you want the bill, Alex?

0:50:410:50:45

It's become a free-for-all.

0:50:460:50:49

Have you allocated one room per person?

0:50:490:50:51

All I'm seeing at the moment is everybody everywhere.

0:50:510:50:54

What was supposed to happen was that Alex took the front room

0:50:540:50:56

-and I took the back room.

-Has that happened?

0:50:560:50:59

What's happened is that people have started coming in and it's confused.

0:50:590:51:02

-Now I can't keep track.

-So what are you going to do?

0:51:020:51:05

I'm going to take the back room back. I'm going to go and grab it back.

0:51:050:51:08

-Alex?

-Alex, it's a bit confusing swapping rooms,

0:51:080:51:12

-so can we have the back room and you have the front room?

-OK.

0:51:120:51:16

So you're going to take the front room,

0:51:160:51:18

Kate, you're taking the backroom and I'm going to help you out...

0:51:180:51:22

-Check out the back room.

-Sure.

0:51:220:51:24

-Here we go.

-Cheers.

-Thank you.

0:51:240:51:28

Couple of cinnamon buns?

0:51:280:51:29

Finally the systems are back in place.

0:51:310:51:34

I think we've served something like 90 people in the last

0:51:340:51:37

-two and a half hours.

-That's pretty good, isn't it?

0:51:370:51:40

Not bad for a first day, but I am sorry I kept you waiting.

0:51:400:51:43

It's such a great sight seeing a busy restaurant.

0:51:460:51:49

There's nothing better than walking into a place that's full.

0:51:490:51:52

And as a customer it makes you want to go into a restaurant even more.

0:51:520:51:57

By mid-afternoon, the customers do begin to tail off,

0:51:580:52:01

and just as well.

0:52:010:52:03

Sorry, did you say you don't have any cakes left?

0:52:030:52:06

-What do you mean?

-We haven't...

-ANY cakes?

0:52:060:52:08

You're going to have to make the scones right now.

0:52:080:52:11

-We've run out of everything.

-You're out of scones, cake...

0:52:110:52:13

-We've run out of scones, cake, soup...

-No soup? Are you serious?

0:52:130:52:19

My God, what have you got left?

0:52:210:52:24

Normally I'd heavily criticise any restaurant running out of food

0:52:240:52:28

but it's no wonder here -

0:52:280:52:30

they've been inundated, serving over 150 customers today.

0:52:300:52:34

Luckily the end of service is within sight.

0:52:360:52:40

A dead duck!

0:52:410:52:43

Oh, God...

0:52:430:52:44

-Thank you so much.

-You're welcome. I'm going to come by and see you.

0:52:480:52:54

Thank you for all your hard work. It can only get easier from here on in.

0:52:540:52:59

-It can only get easier and it can only get organised.

-Yeah.

0:52:590:53:02

Kate, Alex, how do you think that went?

0:53:040:53:06

Really well, but really bad.

0:53:070:53:09

I definitely wasn't expecting as many people as we had.

0:53:090:53:12

-That was a lot of people.

-I don't think I caught up at any point.

0:53:120:53:15

There wasn't a point when I had a breather and could do something else.

0:53:150:53:19

It's been absolutely relentless since 10am.

0:53:190:53:21

But I think it was a huge success.

0:53:210:53:24

I think generally the customer experience was good today.

0:53:240:53:27

I think your systems are going to work.

0:53:270:53:30

They're a bit rusty at the moment but with time and practice

0:53:300:53:33

they will get better.

0:53:330:53:34

The drinks service today was quite poor and I think you both realised

0:53:340:53:38

-it's not acceptable to put food down on a table before drinks.

-Yeah.

0:53:380:53:42

It's something you need to give immediate attention to

0:53:420:53:46

and fix the problem, whatever it is, to make sure people get

0:53:460:53:49

their drinks quickly, especially in a place like this.

0:53:490:53:52

-People expect their coffees and teas straightaway.

-Yeah.

0:53:520:53:54

The other thing I need you to do is look at the way you manage

0:53:540:53:57

the space, because you were both in this room today, you are both

0:53:570:54:00

in that room, you were crossing over, bumping into each other.

0:54:000:54:03

So I think it's a case of doing what you tried to do today,

0:54:030:54:06

which was divide and conquer, but actually achieve it next time.

0:54:060:54:09

I think there's a lot of goodwill here,

0:54:090:54:11

and that was very evident today on the opening day.

0:54:110:54:15

And that will get you a little way, but it won't get you all the way.

0:54:150:54:18

You can rely on goodwill at the beginning of a business

0:54:180:54:20

but you can't rely on it for ever.

0:54:200:54:22

So you need to fix those problems

0:54:220:54:24

and I'm really looking forward to coming back.

0:54:240:54:27

-Well done!

-Thank you.

-Congratulations.

0:54:270:54:29

What they've done is they've created something that already,

0:54:290:54:32

on day one, has generated such a huge amount of word of mouth.

0:54:320:54:36

And it can only get better.

0:54:360:54:38

It's a really important commodity in opening a restaurant

0:54:380:54:42

and they seem to have nailed it already.

0:54:420:54:44

It all just feels a bit surreal, I can't believe we just did that.

0:54:440:54:48

But has all the hard work paid off?

0:54:480:54:50

I think we're about 850-860. Plus we've still got some people to pay,

0:54:500:54:54

-so I think it's going to be about a grand.

-Whoo-hoo!

0:54:540:54:57

The girls are up again for the breakfast at eight o'clock

0:55:070:55:12

and they're on their feet all day.

0:55:120:55:14

I'm back in Dunchurch a week after the opening.

0:55:230:55:26

Wow! I'm so pleased to see it's still busy.

0:55:320:55:36

-You've got a full restaurant out there, Kate.

-I know. Already!

0:55:360:55:40

It's been like this since we opened, I can't believe it.

0:55:400:55:42

It's gone so well.

0:55:420:55:44

And I'm glad to see that drinks are coming out more promptly now.

0:55:440:55:48

Thanks, Alex.

0:55:480:55:49

There you go.

0:55:500:55:52

Thank you, it looks amazing. Thank you very much.

0:55:520:55:56

I can also see that Kate and Alex are doing what I asked them,

0:55:560:55:59

sticking to their sections and continually finessing

0:55:590:56:02

their food offer, serving delicious,

0:56:020:56:04

well sourced and beautifully presented food.

0:56:040:56:07

It's really good. What I like about it is that it's just

0:56:070:56:10

three things on a plate, it's bread it's eggs, it's mushrooms,

0:56:100:56:14

but it's really good bread, really good eggs and really good mushrooms.

0:56:140:56:17

And if you've got excellent ingredients you don't need to do anything clever.

0:56:170:56:20

You just let the ingredients speak for themselves.

0:56:200:56:23

And that's what they've done and it really works.

0:56:230:56:26

-How was everything?

-Very good.

-Brilliant.

0:56:260:56:29

-Where are the eggs from?

-From a farm, literally two minutes that way.

0:56:290:56:32

-Fabulous.

-Yeah.

-All really good.

-Aw, thank you very much.

0:56:320:56:36

Morning!

0:56:370:56:40

In a small village, word of mouth is crucial

0:56:400:56:43

and the people of Dunchurch clearly want to support Kate and Alex.

0:56:430:56:47

It's a real success,

0:56:470:56:49

but is the reality of working together living up to the dream?

0:56:490:56:53

-Kate and Alex, business is booming. Isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:56:530:56:58

It's off the chart.

0:56:580:56:59

-I mean, I had no idea it would be as busy as it is today. Had you?

-No.

0:56:590:57:04

We hoped and dreamed it would be like this, but it's just been fantastic.

0:57:040:57:08

-The spend per head you wanted was £5.50, wasn't it?

-Yeah.

-What are you doing?

0:57:080:57:12

-Way over that.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Tell me.

0:57:120:57:14

-I think it's just over eight.

-Amazing.

0:57:140:57:16

It's brilliant. What we need to do now is,

0:57:160:57:18

people that have come to try it out once, we need them to come back.

0:57:180:57:22

You've been working together, living together pretty much,

0:57:220:57:25

for the best part of two or three months.

0:57:250:57:28

-How is your relationship?

-We're still speaking, aren't we, I think?

0:57:280:57:31

-Yeah.

-Because having had children, in the past couple of years

0:57:310:57:35

we haven't spent that much time together. But actually...

0:57:350:57:38

-I've really enjoyed working with you.

-Awww!

0:57:380:57:40

-I have, actually, it's been good.

-Yeah.

-It's gone all gooey already.

0:57:400:57:43

-Ask me in a year, though.

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

0:57:430:57:46

Listen, we've been out for far too long.

0:57:460:57:48

You've got a very full restaurant and I want you to get back.

0:57:480:57:50

I just wanted to say, from my perspective, this is a hit.

0:57:500:57:54

It's amazing.

0:57:540:57:55

What started out as an idea, a vision and a great business

0:58:000:58:04

opportunity has been executed with confidence and aplomb.

0:58:040:58:08

Kate and Alex have taken inspiration from so many sources

0:58:080:58:12

and they've created what I think is a really good restaurant.

0:58:120:58:16

But what pleases me most

0:58:160:58:18

is that Dunchurch has voted decisively with its feet.

0:58:180:58:21

The place was absolutely packed.

0:58:210:58:24

Kate and Alex have pulled something remarkable off.

0:58:240:58:27

I really think they've scored a hole-in-one

0:58:270:58:30

and I couldn't be happier.

0:58:300:58:31

-That's it, we're living a dream, aren't we?

-We are.

0:58:310:58:34

-I'm ready for the next one now.

-Yeah.

0:58:340:58:36

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