- 10 hours ago
The Hotel Inspector (2005) Season 21 Episode 7
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TVTranscript
00:00I've run hotels most of my working life.
00:04So we've got 23 rooms in house tonight. Thank you very much all of you.
00:09So I know all too well how brutal the hospitality industry can be.
00:13That is terrifying.
00:15We've put everything that we have into this.
00:17And this year the situation truly is dire.
00:20You've got me worried about that now.
00:22I have a lot of pressure to make sure that I deliver.
00:26With businesses facing spiraling energy, food and wage costs.
00:30I have a big sense of responsibility.
00:33And customers who have less money to spend.
00:36Frankly, sweet Fanny Adams.
00:38From country pubs.
00:39Careful of the dog ****.
00:41To seaside hotels.
00:42This has got to be done for Friday. I have somebody in here Friday night.
00:46Shepherd's huts.
00:47You've got a big one. Thank you.
00:49To family guest houses.
00:51Makes me think of Scarlett O'Hara.
00:53They're all in desperate need of my help.
00:55She's just pulled up and I'm terrified.
00:58I'll be getting my hands dirty.
01:01Come on, the pint work.
01:03And delivering some hard truths.
01:05I think you're bonkers.
01:07Hello.
01:08To help owners across the country get back in the black.
01:12Something has got to change.
01:14You're very silent. Why?
01:17You're the expert.
01:18Before everything comes crashing down.
01:20We're just hoping we can catch it before it's too late.
01:24That is my challenge.
01:26Should I choose to accept it?
01:27And I do.
01:32This time.
01:33Terror.
01:34Horror.
01:34I'm all at sea.
01:36I've been up all night throwing up.
01:38Trying to rescue a port side pub from sinking without a trace.
01:42They've got no customers.
01:44Spend the time tidying up.
01:46And with owners wading through mountains of debt.
01:49It's about 50,000.
01:51Have they sounded the alarm when it's already too late?
01:55I mean, I just want to know.
01:57Have you given up already?
02:01On the south coast of England is the ocean city of Southampton.
02:07It was from here that Titanic set sail in 1912.
02:12Now it's the UK's busiest cruise port.
02:15With 85% of the country's cruise ships departing from here.
02:22Commanding a prime location opposite one of the ferry terminals is the platform tavern.
02:28This is mission control.
02:29This is the bar.
02:30It's a small mission control.
02:32But it works.
02:34For almost 30 years landlord Stuart has been at the helm of this drinking establishment.
02:39That has stood here since 1873.
02:42In every man's heart.
02:44He was his own pub.
02:46And I thought I'd give it a go.
02:48And I just relished it.
02:51Former graphic designer Stuart lives above the pub.
02:54Which she shares with his eight year old daughter Imelda.
02:58She stays here.
02:59Three times a week.
03:01She keeps me young.
03:02As does his wardrobe.
03:04This is my bedroom.
03:05All my famous loud shirts that I wear in the pub.
03:09I'm infamous for my loud shirts.
03:11My daughter's favourite shirt is my quack quack shirt.
03:19And in this pub loud shirts and sometimes loud music is the order of the day.
03:25You come round again here.
03:28This is our kind of like stage area.
03:31Live music is what we're really, really known for.
03:34And we've had some pretty epic nights in here.
03:36And it's good fun.
03:37It's very good fun.
03:39Jeremy is Stuart's right hand man.
03:42A former Southampton student who first worked at the pub in 2015.
03:47I did my first couple of months at uni and thought, I need a job.
03:53And I'd walked in and took my CV in.
03:55And as soon as I walked in I thought, oh actually this is a lot, you know, a lot nicer
03:59than, kind of like a hidden gem sort of thing.
04:01A hidden gem that was also making decent money.
04:07Yeah.
04:08I think my best year to date was 2015.
04:13Okay.
04:14I think we made 50,000 that year, you know, by far the best year we've ever had.
04:20But the honeymoon period of 2015 came to an end.
04:25And that one bites the dust as they say.
04:28His marriage ended.
04:30And then a devastating fire tore through the pub.
04:35Terror.
04:37Horror.
04:39Look at the blinds there.
04:40Yeah.
04:42One minute you've got a pub that's open and thriving.
04:45And the next minute it's closed and it's just, everything's in.
04:48It's black.
04:49In the early hours of the 5th of October, 2023, Stuart was awoken by a call to say a fire
04:55had broken out in the tavern.
04:57I think if the fire brigade had turned up, maybe 10, 15 minutes later the whole pub would have gone.
05:04The platform survived the fire, but now faces the heat of spiralling debt.
05:11The pub itself, the business, had quite a few debts.
05:13We couldn't pay those debts.
05:16And I found myself in a position where I had to fold a business.
05:20And I needed someone to come in and set up a new business.
05:25And just employ me as a living landlord, basically.
05:28If you look at this quarter, we're negative 12 grand.
05:32Really?
05:33Yep.
05:36From cutting his teeth, washing pots as a student,
05:40Jeremy was about to take on a bigger role in the running of the pub.
05:44I knew Jeremy, he'd worked here a number of times before.
05:48And so I gave him a call and asked him if he wanted the opportunity to come back and set
05:53up a new business here and get the platform back on its ground again.
05:57Together, Stuart and Jeremy have fought to stave off the tavern's execution.
06:03Stuart still owns the building.
06:05Essentially, he's the landlord.
06:07I pay him rent every month.
06:09And I also employ him on a salary.
06:14But the money worries in this pub are really mounting up.
06:20So I've got here outstanding to HMRC in VAT and PAYE.
06:25It's about £50,000.
06:29The mortgage on the building was, unfortunately, interest only.
06:33And now I'm paying just over £4,000 a month from the mortgage.
06:37And time for the tavern has almost run out.
06:42We've got about six months, probably, before we've got a...
06:45It's last-ditch right now.
06:47It's, yeah.
06:57Southampton is noted for its cruise industry.
07:00It means that there's this incredible influx of visitors, both local and international.
07:05And so I'm expecting it to be a really vibrant scene.
07:08I always love a new project and I love a pub.
07:11So I'm feeling pretty upbeat this morning.
07:16Hopefully, my hosts share my enthusiasm.
07:21Cut.
07:23Been sick as well, yeah?
07:26I've been up all night throwing up.
07:33Well, first impressions are really not great.
07:37Outside here, it doesn't tell you if it's food, if it's booze only, what it does at all.
07:44And I think, that's a bit of a mistake.
07:47Maybe they've put out A-boards or something later.
07:50I'm hoping so.
07:52Because at the moment, there's absolutely nothing to tempt me in.
07:56Not least the menu that I've finally spotted.
07:58Is it a pizza gaffe or a fish and chips gaffe?
08:03Somewhere that says,
08:05Or, you know, chimichurri prawns?
08:10Clearly a mishmash of modern-sounding food, served up in an old maritime pub.
08:15James McGrady Stewart, first cast aboard the Titanic, perished in the 1912 disaster, lived here.
08:23I hope that's not a portent for the future.
08:34Hi, morning.
08:36Morning.
08:36Stuart.
08:37Hello, pleased to meet you.
08:38Hello, and very nice to meet you.
08:39Jeremy, nice to meet you.
08:41Nice to meet you.
08:42So, who does what round here?
08:44So, I run most of the business side of things, and I am the second chef as well.
08:51And is the food side busy?
08:53No.
08:54Fine.
08:55Not, definitely not how it used to be.
08:57Okay.
08:57And, darling, what do you do?
08:59I'm the landlord, basically.
09:01I run the pub.
09:04And the drinking culture has changed so much.
09:07Have you noticed a decline in bar sales?
09:09Oh, yes.
09:10Definitely gone down, especially over the last sort of ten years, I'd say.
09:13You sound despairing.
09:15Don't worry.
09:16I'm old school, so I'm still a drinker.
09:18They're still home.
09:20Yeah.
09:22Clearly, I'm here to try and help me save the pub.
09:24Yeah.
09:25Yes.
09:26We need your help.
09:27Can I have a look around?
09:29Sure, please.
09:30Make yourself at home.
09:31Great.
09:31I'll come back and chat with you.
09:33Okay.
09:33Great, thank you.
09:41Um, I mean, it's a little bit odd.
09:45It all looks, I mean, it looks a bit on its uppers, if I'm honest.
09:51It just feels like somewhere that probably looks better after dog.
09:59I'm interested to find out how she can turn the hospitality trade around.
10:04And, you know, and make it work for us.
10:08I'm struggling to find out what the tavern's USP really is.
10:13The lost Titanic being towed out of Belfast Harbour.
10:18Partial list of the saved.
10:21One thing that does need saving in this pub is the levels of cleanliness.
10:27A filthy kettle, a whole load of kind of condiments.
10:33You know, put the ketchup and mayonnaise in the fridge occasionally.
10:37You know, clean the kettle.
10:38Look at the state of the kettle.
10:40I mean, I wouldn't want a cup of tea, thank you very much.
10:43No.
10:45You know, they've got no customers.
10:47Spend the time tidying up.
10:49It kind of smacks of defeat.
10:52Is what I don't like about it.
10:55I mean, go down by all means, but go down fighting.
11:10This is the Platform Tavern.
11:13A struggling maritime boozer in the cruise ship capital of Southampton.
11:18Run by landlord Stuart.
11:20I don't want to see the platform die.
11:22None of my customers want to see it die.
11:24An ex-Southampton Uni student, Jeremy.
11:27I just kind of plunged into it.
11:30I had no idea what I was doing.
11:32But with debts going up and customer numbers down,
11:36the tavern's future is in grave danger.
11:40In your last full financial year, what was your turnover?
11:44502,000.
11:47Okay. And did you make a profit?
11:49No.
11:50So it was minus?
11:5255,577 pounds.
11:56How much for mortgage do you owe?
11:57About 280 now.
11:59I owe the mortgage company 27,000 in arrears.
12:02Yeah.
12:03Now they're threatening to sell the pub at auction to get their money.
12:09It's a big load to bear, so at times having to...
12:15Well, it's quite a big responsibility and it's only getting worse.
12:19And, yeah, I don't really know how to turn things around.
12:27I feel like they've really had the stuffing knocked out of them.
12:31They feel very piano, as you would say in Italian,
12:33which means that they're just quite subdued.
12:36I think it's been a bit searing.
12:39Obviously, this threat hanging over their head is immediate and terminal.
12:45To get the tills ringing again at the tavern, I need to find out which customer base they need to
12:51land.
12:54Last year, Southampton handled 3 million cruising customers.
12:59Could this be a captive market or local workers looking for lunch?
13:04Hi.
13:05Yeah, we'd love a table for tea for lunch, please.
13:08Which market do Stuart and Jeremy need to reel in?
13:11You know, not for the first time.
13:13I'm importing a whole load of people to come and try out the pub for me.
13:26Oh, my gosh.
13:28This stress test is to show me how the pub copes with customers.
13:33And, crucially, what they're choosing to eat.
13:36I'll get someone to serve you.
13:38You're busy on lunchtime. What's going on?
13:40You've done it already.
13:41I'm here.
13:41High fives.
13:44Hopefully, the pub can handle the lunchtime rush.
13:48There's Jeremy.
13:50Time will tell.
13:54I have invited food writers.
13:57I do a little bit of writing about stuffing, cleaning food, and James runs a Portsmouth Food Guide.
14:02I want some constructive criticism to look perfect.
14:05You're pretty good at that.
14:07Constructive criticism, and always with a keen eye for cleanliness.
14:12I'm so sorry. It was sticky. It's disgusting.
14:16There you go. Thanks, darling.
14:18Alongside food writers, I've also invited students.
14:22What do you think of the prices?
14:24The lunch menu is more student prices, but the pizza menu and the other menus can be a little bit
14:28steeper.
14:30And what do the business lunch brigade think?
14:34Right. Hello. Hello. Hello.
14:37I take it that you are locals.
14:39Yep. Yep. Yep.
14:41Okay, good.
14:42Very local from across town or from nearby?
14:45We work just next door.
14:47Ketchup. A bit of ketchup.
14:49What would make you come in here more often?
14:51Would you appreciate a local spot?
14:54Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.
14:56I mean, with us just being a couple of minutes across the way, definitely be a bonus. Yeah.
15:00Yeah.
15:01Last but not least, some cruise passengers from down under.
15:05Hello. Hello. You sound like you're not entirely from these shores.
15:10We're from New Zealand.
15:11We need to cast the net as wide as possible.
15:14Why are you here?
15:15We're going on a boat tomorrow.
15:17Oh, we do. Yeah.
15:18Where are you going?
15:20We just go.
15:21Oh, my gosh. How exciting.
15:23Yeah. That should be good.
15:27Your food won't be long as it's been plated up now, okay?
15:30I mean, I'll tell you what I noticed straight away.
15:33It's first of all, they're a lazy shower in there, aren't they?
15:37Jeremy's still sat on his arse.
15:39You've got a pub full of people.
15:41Surely, that is exactly what you want.
15:43Because if they're just going to sit on their arses and let me run around and do all the work,
15:46I'm not interested.
15:48Time to see if the food has piqued people's interest.
15:52So far, so good?
15:53Actually, really pleasantly surprised.
15:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:59Good.
15:59It's been all good.
16:00Yeah.
16:01Well, I'm really pleased you're saying that.
16:02I wasn't expecting it either, thank you.
16:07But what do my cash-strapped students think?
16:10And was it worth the wait?
16:13You can be honest, I don't mind.
16:15It took quite a while for the food to come out.
16:17It took a long, long, long, long, long time.
16:20And I think we got very hungry.
16:20I felt like it wouldn't work very well for the student lifestyle.
16:23We were rushing between places, yeah, getting to lectures.
16:26Yeah, I agree.
16:28Okay.
16:29Not quite the glowing report from the students.
16:32Thank you very much indeed.
16:33That's all right.
16:34All right.
16:34Thanks, darling.
16:35It was a very delicious meal I'd say.
16:37Thanks.
16:39Certainly plenty of room in this pub to raise the bar.
16:42And from what I've seen, this starts with the landlords.
16:48I suppose I want to know whether you guys have still got some vim and vigor and energy and enthusiasm.
16:55Because what I...
16:56That was slightly lacking to my mind today.
16:59This is the hospitality industry.
17:01You had quite a few people in the pub.
17:03I didn't see either of you kind of leaping forward to energetically welcome them with a big smiling face.
17:10And I feel like there's just loads of really basic things that you guys just have gone completely blind to.
17:17I mean, I just want to know, have you given up already?
17:22Fair enough.
17:24Well, do you have an...
17:25Am I...
17:26Am I...
17:26You know, why?
17:27Why is it like that?
17:30Why is it like this?
17:33Um...
17:33I haven't really got a good answer for you.
17:36It feels like you guys have already thought, well, this is a done deal and actually f*** it.
17:42You know, you've still got to fight.
17:45And just turning up and opening the door every day isn't fighting.
17:49It's just accepting the inevitable.
17:51And my example is always like it's turning around the Titanic.
17:54It's slow, but it's got to...
17:56So that's why it's got to start immediately.
17:58Yeah.
17:59I think we need...
17:59We need a bit of encouragements and like a...
18:03A bit of a reality check.
18:06Like...
18:06This.
18:07To...
18:08Because you're right.
18:09I think we've...
18:09We've become...
18:11A bit defeated.
18:13Well, no.
18:14I mean, we want to turn the business around and we're willing to change anything.
18:18We have to change.
18:21I feel like I'm just fighting to keep afloat and I don't feel like I can...
18:24No.
18:25There's like...
18:26You know...
18:26But you're not doing anything different, darling.
18:29No, I know.
18:29Think out.
18:30Yeah.
18:30You know, sitting here waiting for customers is not the way to be successful.
18:35Mm-hmm.
18:36Plaster off.
18:37Time to start applying some kind of bandage.
18:41So, the first thing is, have a good look around, clean yourselves up.
18:45Yeah.
18:46Second thing is, start thinking about the menu.
18:50Every single person wants either a meal deal or, you know, would love a discount card.
18:56Let's just be a bit more thoughtful about what it is we're offering and how we're offering it.
19:02By the time I come back, I want to see a very different place.
19:05Okay.
19:09I think Jeremy and Stuart both looked a bit stunned.
19:13But I think what I was pointing out was kind of undeniable.
19:17I feel like they're not terribly enthusiastic, proactive, energetic.
19:25It was fair.
19:26Didn't expect it.
19:28We should have done a lot more before she came.
19:30We've taken on board everything, as she said, and we definitely need to get her mojo back
19:34and, you know, and try to get customers in through the door and come up with some fresh ideas.
19:43I think, actually, they've lost confidence in their product and in the project as a whole.
19:50Yeah, it's finding the right market and the right people.
19:59That's where I come in.
20:03Southampton has a titanic-sized cruise industry worth £2.5 billion annually, a market they should be tapping into.
20:14Before I leave, I'm meeting up with Gemma from Go Southampton, an organisation that helps business in the city.
20:22Tell me everything I need to know about Southampton and the type of tourism that comes here.
20:27We have three million cruise passengers come in every year and it's only getting stronger.
20:33It's a thriving industry for the city.
20:36What are people looking for when they come off a ship?
20:38They want that quintessential British experience, fish and chips, pint poured at the pub, those kind of things that really
20:45make them feel like they've got the culture.
20:47Southampton is also intrinsically and tragically linked with the sinking of one of the world's most infamous cruise liners.
20:55Is the Titanic a massive draw?
20:58It's huge.
20:59It is.
21:00Yeah, that's one of the biggest questions we get.
21:02Some people ask for Jane Austen, but most people ask for the Titanic.
21:05So, I'm trying to help the Platform Tavern.
21:08Yes.
21:08And the last person to be found, James McGrady, his last address was there.
21:12I'm hoping to make it a pit stop on someone who's on a Titanic trail.
21:17Fantastic.
21:18I mean, that's golden.
21:19And we can help with building that story to make sure that it's a pit stop on the journey that
21:23they take.
21:27We have to hit the kind of Titanic point.
21:30I mean, that's why lots of people come to Southampton and we ignore that at our peril.
21:36I think we just have to actually go out and start talking to people and making sure that we remind
21:41people that the Platform Tavern is there.
21:55That's 6.30 metres.
21:56Quayside in Southampton, opposite one cruise terminal, is a struggling Platform Tavern.
22:03This pub predates the departure of the Titanic from the docks in 1912.
22:08Thank you, Neil.
22:09Run by shipmates Jeremy.
22:11Yeah, we're not defeated.
22:13Sometimes it feels that way.
22:14It feels like everything's against you.
22:16Hopefully we can weather the storm.
22:18And veteran of almost three decades, Stuart.
22:22It's my job and my home.
22:24It's just hanging over you the whole time.
22:26Who I'm glad to see have responded with action and, I hope, enthusiasm.
22:32I think it's what we both needed, someone to shake us up a bit.
22:36We just can't sit back and cross our fingers.
22:38You know, we have to do something.
22:41Giving the place a good scrubbing was an absolute basic.
22:47Hopefully, it will look a lot better than they did before.
22:50Next on my to-do list was to declutter those confusing menus.
22:55So there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
22:59Eight small bites and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
23:05Seven mains.
23:07That was that.
23:08Then there was a lunch menu and then there was a pizza menu as well.
23:14Well, this is the new reduced menu.
23:18Hopefully, less wastage.
23:19A bit of a less choice and quicker to cook and get out of the kitchen.
23:23And to wash down the simpler and tastier menu.
23:26Well, we've introduced the loyalty card, which I think was a good idea.
23:31Buy nine pints and get your tenth pint for free.
23:34Free beer is always a good take-up, isn't it?
23:37And if the paying public prefers a nice cup of tea,
23:40I hope for their sake that kettle is as clean as a whistle.
23:45The kettle, yeah, I've cleaned that since and cleaned that up.
23:54I think we've done a good job.
23:56I'm hoping everyone should be happy.
23:59I have to say, I didn't have an enormous uplift of the heart as I woke up this morning,
24:05knowing I was coming to Southampton and actually faced with a general lack of enthusiasm
24:11that both Jeremy and Stuart seem to show.
24:14Before I check on progress at the tavern, I've asked Stuart and Jeremy to meet me
24:19at one of Southampton's most visited exhibitions.
24:22Hello.
24:23How are you?
24:24Very well, yourself?
24:25Very good.
24:25Good morning.
24:28The Sea City Museum opened April the 10th, 2012.
24:34Exactly a hundred years since Titanic's maiden voyage from Southampton.
24:39The bowels went down first and the stars stuck up in me.
24:44With around 2,200 passengers and crew on board, the liner set sail for New York.
24:51Four days later at 11.40pm, the ship struck an iceberg and sank,
24:57taking with it over 1,500 passengers and crew.
25:05I think it's really clear that so many people come to Southampton,
25:09specifically because of the Titanic story.
25:12Yeah.
25:13And people kind of expect there to be a bit more of a trail,
25:17a few more obvious places to kind of visit, like on a pilgrimage.
25:21So let's go and have a look.
25:23Okay.
25:24So, gosh, this is all the crew on the Titanic.
25:29It's amazing how few faces we have to put the names.
25:35James McGrady, your guy.
25:37Oh, wow.
25:37He's there already.
25:39James McGrady's last known address was the Platform Tavern.
25:42Unlike others who tragically died, nobody has put a face to the name.
25:47Family members contributed these to put faces to the names.
25:53Yeah.
25:54But obviously, James McGrady didn't have anyone to do that for him,
25:58and it would be nice if we could, in our research, manage to do that.
26:03They're all really young.
26:04Yes.
26:05Well, lots of them.
26:06So, so young.
26:07Onward.
26:09James was one of 540 crew from Southampton who perished.
26:14So he was in the dining saloon, wasn't he?
26:17First class.
26:18Yeah.
26:19So that's where he would have been working.
26:20He was a first class steward.
26:22Yeah.
26:22William makes six pounds a month.
26:24He works hard for it.
26:26My God.
26:28One of hundreds of local working people simply trying to make a living.
26:34So many of the crew were on it because they were desperate to be fed properly and to get some
26:39six weeks work.
26:40I think it's a shame we've got the name James McGrady on the wall, but there's no portrait.
26:46You know, who knows why, but it would be nice to fill in that little gap and feel like one
26:50is somehow contributing to history.
26:53It's an amazing exhibition.
26:55Quite airy.
26:56Yeah.
26:56I'm glad I came.
26:57It's taken 10 years, but I'm glad I came.
26:59Yeah.
26:59Yeah.
27:00It makes you realise how big of a party it was in Southampton's history.
27:03It was huge, you know.
27:05They've got a little tiny bit of that history at the Platform Tavern and I'm sure that we should take
27:10advantage of it.
27:15It has been a sobering afternoon at the Sea City Museum.
27:18Now it's back to the pub to check on progress with my homework.
27:23Top of my to-do list was reducing the menus.
27:27Let's see.
27:28Sea of the day.
27:29Scotch eggs, creamy fries, salt and pepper squid, stripper.
27:32Gosh.
27:32Tiny little, very clever, appropriate menu.
27:35Good.
27:36Alongside the more compact menu, I asked Jeremy to devise a lunchtime meal deal to tempt people in.
27:43This is our food deal.
27:44Any bap and a pint, 11 quid.
27:46That is a brilliant deal.
27:48As people are walking past, you might be able to get them with a bap and a pint.
27:52I think that's a really clever idea.
27:54What is this on the table?
27:55I think these are loyalty cards, aren't they?
27:58Indeed.
27:58Yeah.
27:58And you can see they've gone down really well.
28:01The regular regulars are loving it, obviously.
28:04Yeah.
28:04We've got to try and reach out to the non-regulars.
28:06That's exactly the idea.
28:08Yeah.
28:08With the meal deals, menus and loyalty cards all in hand.
28:12I'm going to have a quick look around.
28:13Okay.
28:14Now time for a spot check on my request to keep this place clean.
28:18Well, already, this looks more fit for purpose.
28:23It's all set up.
28:25If a group came in, the floor has clearly just been washed before I arrived.
28:30But is this a reflection of the rest of the pub?
28:34That one, however, still leaves something to be desired.
28:38I mean, let's have a look at the kettle, shall we?
28:44Still needs cleaning.
28:48You didn't quite get to the kettle, Stuart, did you?
28:51We did clean it.
28:52Did you?
28:53I did.
28:53When?
28:55About three weeks ago, just after you left.
28:57You know, but that's the thing about cleaning, darling.
28:59It's like the sun rises and sets.
29:01You can't just do it once and then stop.
29:04I worry that men are just genetically and culturally not encouraged to clean.
29:10And it irritates me.
29:11Have you got any glass cleaner?
29:13Yes, we have.
29:14Well, use it on that mirror then, please.
29:17My sense of bonhomie may be waning.
29:20If we're going to try and get some lunchtime trays in here, we need it to be clean.
29:25Okay.
29:27The pub must be ship-shaped before I can get people in.
29:31Also, at the moment, any kind of marketing is lacking.
29:35I just can't get around the fact that they're not advertising anything.
29:39They don't have a local beer named on a board outside.
29:42They don't have any kind of food offering showing.
29:45They're just basically not doing anything at all to encourage people to come in.
29:51Which I really don't get.
29:54Despite trimming their menu and offering a meal deal, without customers crossing the threshold, Stuart and Jeremy might as well
30:02just shut up shop.
30:04I'm sorry, but I think you're absolutely wrong not to advertise.
30:08People need to know that you're doing a meal deal.
30:10I'm intending to try and market this both to tourists and people in the city.
30:17I want Stuart and Jeremy to create a leaflet that I can use to drum up business.
30:22It needs to be all singing and all dancing.
30:24Yeah. Okay.
30:25Flyers for the pub could be a fantastic way to get punters through the door.
30:30Quite a little bit.
30:31Ah!
30:32I don't know why it's made it so bloody small.
30:34This is doing right in.
30:38While the boys have been busy with their flyer,
30:43I've been doing my own detective work around their connections to the Titanic and I have found some useful bits.
30:51I have a few bits of Titanic memorabilia, which I think should go up on the wall.
31:01We've got, most importantly, is the tavern as it was back in the day.
31:07That's a lovely old photograph.
31:09I've seen that a number of times.
31:09Showing a sign for good rooms, which is where James McGrady would have stayed.
31:16And I'm also delighted to have found a portrait of the man who once stayed here.
31:22Then we have the all-important portrait of Mr. McGrady.
31:27Oh, you found one?
31:27Yeah, it's amazing.
31:29This simple but powerful picture is to become the centrepiece of a wall in the tavern that commemorates the Titanic.
31:38And they say even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.
31:42So, I have another idea for theirs.
31:46So, I'm going to leave you to put up this.
31:48Yeah.
31:49As your clock has already stopped, do you not think that we could also put the hands to the time
31:54the Titanic struck the iceberg?
31:58That's a fantastic idea.
31:59Yeah?
32:00Shouting about the pub's connections to the Titanic is really key if we're to get tourists through the door.
32:08With Stuart on Clockwatch, it's up to Jeremy and I to drum up some trade with the flyers for the
32:13pub's lunchtime deals.
32:15Fantastic. Lovely.
32:17Okay, have fun.
32:19Time for some old-fashioned but very direct marketing.
32:22This may be low-tech tactics in a modern digital world, but meeting and greeting people can often reap rewards.
32:31Platform tavern, live music, lunchtime offers, two-for-one pizzas, friendly service.
32:41Hi, folks.
32:42Just wanted to give you a leaflet to my pub.
32:44Excuse me.
32:45Can I just, for a pint, a glass of wine and a bap.
32:50Can I give you one of them?
32:52You can.
32:52Thank you, sir.
32:54She's run off ahead.
32:55I couldn't keep up.
32:57I don't know where she gets the energy from.
33:00Can I give you one of those?
33:01For our pub.
33:03Come on, Jeremy.
33:04I'm winning.
33:10But is Stuart with his new display back at the pub?
33:14I'm just playing it by ear, really.
33:16I'll put pictures up and see how they look.
33:18All we can do is try and we'll see what the response we get.
33:23Can I give you one of those?
33:25Thank you so much.
33:26I think most people that know the pub, like it, just need more people to come to it.
33:31You're winning.
33:33And years of practice.
33:37Advertising is the basic of any hospitality business.
33:40Now we need to make sure the pub looks the part.
33:44Let's see how he's, ooh, doing.
33:46I like.
33:47I like it.
33:48I like it.
33:49Oh, hello.
33:50But I wouldn't be me if I didn't have to fiddle with something.
33:53That looks great.
33:56Can I make one small comment?
33:57Of course you can.
33:58Don't know.
33:58So it is all about him.
34:01Yeah.
34:02Right.
34:02So can we swap them round?
34:04Yeah.
34:04Go on.
34:05You do that.
34:06They look great.
34:08They do good.
34:09Well done.
34:11Menus streamlined.
34:13Meal deals advertised.
34:15Served up in a clean pub with a Titanic tribute in place.
34:18The pub is almost ready for relaunch.
34:22So the first thing is, I'd like you to open on Tuesday.
34:26The very first day we came in and I was unfair and I got the pub full of people.
34:30I didn't feel like you were not well.
34:33Neither of you were not leaping forward, wreathed in smiles to be particularly welcoming.
34:37No, exactly.
34:38That's all I'm saying.
34:39We're not used to busy lunch times at the moment.
34:40So will I be prepared for a busy one on Tuesday?
34:44Oh, fantastic.
34:44Yeah?
34:45Yeah.
34:46Okay.
34:46Good.
34:47Thank you very much.
34:48When I finally leave this pub behind, I want to be sure it's well and truly back on the map.
34:54The Platform Tavern is still in existence, still serving fine ale and a limited but affordable menu and with a
35:04sprinkling of Titanic Stardust.
35:22In Southampton, down by the docks is the Platform Tavern, where my voyage to help save it is almost completed.
35:32This has been a very, very tough not to crack.
35:35General kind of lack of enthusiasm and energy has been quite a sap on me.
35:41Feeling better, cold's all gone.
35:44Jeremy runs the business with landlord Stuart.
35:47I'm always quite positive.
35:49It has to be quite positive.
35:50Especially if you're a landlord, you can't stand there moaning about things.
35:53It's your job to listen to other people moaning about things.
35:58What I would like to get out of today is to show them that there is a market, there are
36:03clients for what they're offering.
36:05You know, the slimmed down menu, the loyalty card, the Titanic theme.
36:10You know, all of these things should help to rebuild their following.
36:14Stuart, Jeremy.
36:15Hello.
36:16How are you, sir?
36:17Very well.
36:18Hello.
36:19I'm encouraged to see the pub already showing positive signs.
36:24Very nice.
36:26What's on the other side?
36:28What?
36:28November meal deals.
36:30Yeah, that's about the beers we have on and that's about the food.
36:34Can I take that out?
36:35Yeah, take it out.
36:36Yeah.
36:37It's a bit heavy.
36:38It's all right.
36:39Can I go out this way?
36:40Yeah, sure.
36:42Let me get it out there now.
36:44Thanks, Donna.
36:45Okay.
36:49I am pretty bloody impressed at this.
36:52It looks amazing.
36:56This pub grew a following for its live music, but today the new look of the tavern tells guests all
37:03about its titanic links.
37:05What kind of music do you play?
37:08Whoa.
37:11Yeah, it's basically folk-based stuff.
37:15Some very contemporary food to sort of a couple of traditional things.
37:20Well, we're looking to give the atmosphere of the steerage in the Titanic.
37:28What Stuart and Jeremy don't know is this time I'm not surprising them with regular pub customers.
37:35Hello.
37:36Welcome.
37:37Welcome.
37:37Come in, please.
37:39Instead, I've invited representatives from Southampton's tourist industry to see if the tavern could become part of the city's Titanic
37:47walking trail.
37:48Come.
37:49So this is our kind host, Stuart.
37:52Hello.
37:53Pleased to meet you.
37:54Come in.
37:55Come in.
37:56Come through.
37:56Come through, darling.
37:58For Stuart.
37:59Hello, sir.
38:00I know a few of these faces already.
38:02Yeah.
38:02A chance to tell the Titanic tale linked to this pub.
38:07Basically, when I took the pub on in 1997, I didn't really know about the links with the Titanic.
38:13And then I gradually found out about James McGrady and the fact that he actually lived here.
38:19His last known address was the Platform Tavern.
38:22When you think of the Titanic, there's an awful lot of chatter about the asters and the great and the
38:26good and the captain and, you know, blah-de-blah.
38:29But actually, it is a real, an incredibly human tale.
38:34You know, this is our way of paying homage to him.
38:36So we're very glad that you're here and that we could introduce it to you.
38:40Thank you so much.
38:41A bit more there about the Titanic.
38:45We're right in the centre of the main bit of the Titanic story.
38:48It's just a few metres from here where the ship sailed from.
38:52Tour guide Cheryl Butler has a very personal connection to the ship's history.
38:57And I do a lot of tours and a lot of talks.
38:59And where people get really interested is when you can drop in those stories.
39:03I had three relatives on the Titanic, so I can sort of tell very specific stories about them.
39:09And so having another one where you've got that personal link.
39:12And you can actually say to people, you can go and be in the place where he stayed.
39:17A story that has resonated with Gemma from Go Southampton.
39:21Because as a city, we're always split between the Hollywood glamorising of Titanic's story, but also the sensitive side.
39:28I think it's really important to see his face, see his eyes and see what he looked like as a
39:32person.
39:33And seeing James celebrated, it's just a beautiful thought that somebody is honouring his life.
39:38But what do the tour guides think about promoting this pub to potential tourists?
39:44I'll certainly send them information about the platform tavern.
39:48Because they're always interested in new things that they can promote to the industry and to visitors and tour operators.
39:55So I'll certainly be bringing people in, yes.
40:01It's looking like thumbs up from the tour guides.
40:04Right, let me wait in. Are you together, yes?
40:11First time in England. Welcome to England. Welcome to Blighty.
40:17With tour guides working closely with cruise ships, Laura Breen from Southampton Cruise Concierge could prove highly influential.
40:29A lot of people will come from different countries, so they just want to experience what a British pub would
40:34be like.
40:34And I think this is a perfect example. You've got the live music, you've got the traditional food.
40:39Perfect location for the cruise terminals. So, yeah. I'd always recommend to come here.
40:45This is music to my ears. But is the pub grub hitting the right note?
40:51So, you have fish and chips. What did you think?
40:53I thought they were excellent. The main thing from my point of view as a tour guide, people like to
41:00taste the local cuisine.
41:02And of course, fish and chips is a big thing in England. And I'd be very pleased to recommend it
41:10to anyone.
41:11Thank you so much. That is exactly the feedback I was looking for, so I'm very grateful to you.
41:16No, no, it's a pleasure. No, I'm enjoying it.
41:21Thank you. Excellent.
41:24The thing that I want you both to remember is you're both in this because it was worth it. It
41:30is worth it, the platform.
41:32So, nothing is going to be solved by you sitting about and waiting for something to happen.
41:37I think you've got a really nice product. I think you've got a really nice pub. You've got a nice
41:41friendship. Don't it up.
41:44Thank you, Alex. Thank you for everything you've done.
41:47I'm really glad I had a chance to hang out with you two. It's been nice.
41:50Great.
41:51Really nice to meet you. Really nice to meet you. Thank you so much.
42:00We did knee-telling off at some departments. It was a bit like my mum having a go at me
42:05when I was a little boy, but...
42:09I'm glad you've seen the pub like this because it's how it's supposed to be.
42:12You know, when it's busy and bubbly and that's where you think, ah, now I get what the Platform Tavern's
42:17all about.
42:19I think the day has been much more positive than I expected.
42:23The tour guiding groups seem very enthusiastic and very taken with the story.
42:28And I'm really appreciative of the food offerings.
42:32I've basically reminded them, like I'd like to remind anybody in their shoes,
42:36that there's no point just sitting there and waiting for customers to come to you.
42:40You have to go out and drag them in.
42:49It's been good. It's been pretty positive. We've had some good uptakes on the menus, on the deals.
42:55We've been keeping the place clean. She's been keeping on top of the kettle.
43:00The loyalty car has been very popular with the locals.
43:04We've had a few people in and looked at the Titanic wall.
43:07But it's all been going pretty well.
43:12The
43:12The
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43:40Transcription by CastingWords
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