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The Hotel Inspector - Season 21 - Episode 07: Platform Tavern
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I've run hotels most of my working life.
00:04So we've got 23 rooms in house tonight.
00:07Thank you very much to 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.
00:21I have a lot of pressure to make sure that I deliver.
00:25With businesses facing spiralling 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.
00:44I have somebody in here Friday night.
00:46Shepherd's huts.
00:47You've got a big one.
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.
01:00Come 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.
01:14We're very silent.
01:16Why?
01:16You're the expert.
01:17Before 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.
01:31This time.
01:33Terror.
01:33Horror.
01:34I'm all at sea.
01:36I've been up all night throwing up.
01:38Trying to rescue a portside 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, have you given up already?
02:01On the south coast of England is the ocean city of Southampton.
02:06It was from here that Titanic set sail in 1912.
02:11Now 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, but 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, he was his own pub, and I thought I'd give it a go.
02:48And I just relished it.
02:51Former graphic designer Stuart lives above the pub, which she shares with his eight-year-old daughter Imelda.
02:57She stays here three times a week. She keeps me young.
03:02As does his wardrobe.
03:04This is my bedroom. All my famous loud shirts that I wear in the pub.
03:09Infamous for my loud shirts. My 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.
03:25When you come round again here, this is our kind of like stage area.
03:31Loud music is what we're really, really known for.
03:34And we've had some pretty epic nights in here, and it's good fun. It's very good fun.
03:39Jeremy is Stuart's right-hand man, a 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.
03:52And I'd walked in and took my CV in. And as soon as I walked in, I thought, oh, actually,
03:57this is a lot nicer than, kind of like a hidden gem sort of thing.
04:01A hidden gem that was also making decent money.
04:07Yeah. I think my best year to date was 2015.
04:12OK. I 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. It'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
04:55broken out in the tavern.
04:57I think if the, if the fire brigade had turned up, maybe 10, 15 minutes later,
05:03the whole pub would have gone.
05:04The platform survived the fire, but now faces the heat of spiralling debt.
05:11Pub itself, the business had quite a few debts.
05:13We couldn't pay those debts.
05:15And I found myself in a position where I had to fold a business.
05:20And I needed someone to, to come in and set up a new business
05:25and just employ me as a, 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 had 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
05:52and set up 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.
06:02Stuart still owns a building, essentially he's the landlord.
06:06I pay him rent every month and I also employ him on a salary.
06:13But the money worries in this pub are really mounting up.
06:19So I've got here, outstanding to HMRC in VAT and PAYE, it's about 50,000.
06:29The mortgage on the building was, unfortunately, it's 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. It's... Yeah.
06:57Southampton is noted for its cruise industry.
06:59It 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.
07:23Being sick as well, are you?
07:25I've been up all night throwing up.
07:33Well, first impressions are really not great.
07:36Outside 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 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.
07:55Not least, the menu that I've finally spotted.
07:59Is it a pizza gaffe or a fish and chips gaffe?
08:03Somewhere that serves les parisiennes baguettes?
08:06Or, you know, chimichurri pools?
08:10Clearly, a mishmash of modern-sounding food served up in an old maritime pub.
08:16James McGrady Stewart, first class aboard the Titanic, perished in the 1912 disaster, lived here.
08:23I hope that's not important for the future.
08:34Hi, morning.
08:36Morning.
08:36Stuart.
08:37Hello, pleased to meet you.
08:38Hello, very nice to meet you, Jeremy.
08:40Hi, Alex.
08:40Nice to meet you.
08:41So, 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.
08:57OK.
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.
09:19They're still home.
09:20Yeah.
09:21Yeah.
09:21Clearly, I'm here to try and help you save the pub.
09:24Yeah.
09:25Yes.
09:25Yeah.
09:26We need your help.
09:27Can I have a look around?
09:28Sure, please, please.
09:30Make yourself at home.
09:31Great.
09:31I'll come back and chat with you.
09:33OK.
09:33Great, thank you.
09:40Um, 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 dark.
09:59I'm interested to find out how she can turn the hospitality trade around and, you know,
10:05and make it work for us.
10:08I'm struggling to find out what the tavern's USP really is.
10:13It's the lost Titanic being towed out of Belfast Harbour, partial list of the saved.
10:21One thing that does need saving in this pub is the levels of cleanliness.
10:27A filthy kettle, a filthy kettle, a whole load of kind of condiments, you know, put the ketchup and mayonnaise
10:35in the fridge occasionally.
10:37Now 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, no.
10:45You know, they've got no customers.
10:47Spend the time tidying up.
10:49It kind of smacks of defeat, is what I don't like about it.
10:54I mean, go down by all means, but go down fighting.
11:09This 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.
11:27If I just kind of plunged into it, I had no idea what I was doing.
11:31But with debts going up and customer numbers down, the tavern's future is in grave danger.
11:40In your last full financial year, what was your turnover?
11:44Uh, 502,000.
11:47OK, 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.
12:08It's a big load to bear, so at times having to...
12:14Well, it's a quite big responsibility,
12:17and 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, which 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 three 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.
13:07Which market do Stuart and Jeremy need to reel in?
13:11You know, not for the first time, I'm importing a whole load of people
13:15to 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.
13:38Look at that busy on lunchtime, what's going on?
13:39You've done it already.
13:40I'm here.
13:41High fives.
13:44Hopefully, the pub can handle the lunchtime rush.
13:48Where's Jeremy?
13:50Time will tell.
13:54I have invited food writers.
13:57I do a little bit of writing about staffing cleaning food
13:59and James runs, of course, the food guide.
14:01I want some constructive criticism, so it's perfect.
14:05You're pretty good at that.
14:06Yeah, but...
14:07Constructive criticism and always with a keen eye for cleanliness.
14:13I'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's more student prices,
14:26but the pizza menu and the other menus can be a little bit steeper.
14:30And what do the business lunch brigade think?
14:34Right. Hello. Hello.
14:36Oh, yeah.
14:37I take it that you are locals?
14:39Yeah. Yeah.
14:40Yeah.
14:40Okay, good.
14:42Uh, very local from across town or from nearby?
14:45We work just next door.
14:47Ketchup.
14:48Yeah, a bit of ketchup.
14:49Yeah.
14:49What would make you come in here more often?
14:51Would you appreciate a local's card?
14:54Yeah. Absolutely.
14:55Yeah. Yeah.
14:56I mean, with us just being a couple of minutes across the way,
14:58it would definitely be a bonus.
14:59Yeah.
15:00Yeah.
15:01Last but not least, some cruise passengers from down under.
15:05Hello. Hello.
15:06You sound like you're not entirely from these soils.
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, I'm good.
15:18Yeah.
15:18Where are you going?
15:20The region's yours.
15:21Oh, my gosh.
15:22How exciting.
15:23Yeah.
15:24That should be good.
15:27Your food won't be as 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 helpful 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 pleasant surprise.
15:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:58Good.
15:59It's been all good, yeah.
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 in.
16:17It took a long, long, long, long, long time.
16:19And 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.
16:28Not quite the glowing report from the students.
16:31Thank 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.
16:43And 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 vigour and energy
16:54and enthusiasm, because that was slightly lacking to my mind today.
16:59This is a hospitality industry.
17:00You 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 answer?
17:25Am I, am I, you know, why, why is it like that?
17:30Why is it like this?
17:33Um, I 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, it.
17:42You know, you've still got to fight and 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, so that's why it's got to start immediately.
17:58Yeah.
17:58I think we need, we need a bit of encouragements and like a, a bit of a reality check like
18:06this to,
18:08because you're right. I think we've, we've become a bit defeated.
18:13Well, no, I mean, we want to turn the business around and we're willing to change anything.
18:17We have to change.
18:20I feel like I'm just fighting to keep afloat and I don't feel like I can,
18:25there's like, I'm, you know,
18:26But you're not doing anything different, darling.
18:29Think out, you know, sitting here waiting for customers is not the way to be successful.
18:35Plaster off. Time to start applying some kind of bandage.
18:40So 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.
19:01By the time I come back, I want to see a very different place.
19:06Okay.
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, didn't expect it. We should have done a lot more before she came.
19:29We've taken on board everything she said, and we definitely need to get a mojo back and,
19:34um, you know, and try to, uh, get customers in through the door and come up with some fresh ideas.
19:43So I 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 pounds annually,
20:10a 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 3 million cruise passengers come in every year and it's only getting stronger.
20:34It's a thriving industry for the city.
20:36What are people looking for when they come off a ship?
20:39They want that quintessential British experience, fish and chips, a pint poured at the pub,
20:44those kind of things that really make 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 drawl?
20:58It's huge. It is.
21:00It's huge. Yeah, 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.
21:07Yes.
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. I 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
21:22they 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
21:39and making sure that we remind people that the Platform Tavern is there.
21:51That's 6.30, mate. Cheers.
21:54Keyside in Southampton, opposite one cruise terminal, is the struggling Platform Tavern.
21:59This pub predates the departure of the Titanic from the docks in 1912.
22:05Thank you, Neil.
22:06Run by shipmates Jeremy.
22:08Yeah, we're not defeated. Sometimes it feels that way. It feels like everything's against you.
22:13Hopefully we can weather the storm.
22:15And veteran of almost three decades, Stuart.
22:19It's my job and my home. It's just hanging over you the whole time.
22:22Who I'm glad to see have responded with action and, I hope, enthusiasm.
22:29I think it's what we both needed, someone to shake us up a bit.
22:33We just can't sit back and cross our fingers. You know, we have to do something.
22:38Giving the place a good scrubbing was an absolute basic.
22:44Hopefully, it will look a lot better than they did before.
22:47Next on my to-do list was to declutter those confusing menus.
22:52So there's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
22:56Eight small bites and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
23:02Seven mains. That was that.
23:05Then there was a lunch menu and then there was a pizza menu as well.
23:11Well, this is the new reduced menu. Hopefully less wastage.
23:16A bit of a less choice and quicker to cook and get out of the kitchen.
23:20And to wash down the simpler and tastier menu...
23:23Well, we've introduced the loyalty card, which I think was a good idea.
23:27Buy nine pints and get your tenth pint for free.
23:31Free beer is always a good take-up, isn't it?
23:34And if the paying public prefers a nice cup of tea,
23:37I hope for their sake that kettle is as clean as a whistle.
23:42Uh, the kettle, yeah, I've cleaned that since and, um, cleaned that up.
23:51I think we've done a good job.
23:53I'm hoping everyone should be happy.
23:56I have to say, I didn't have an enormous uplift of the heart as I woke up this morning,
24:02knowing I was coming to Southampton and actually faced with a general lack of enthusiasm
24:08that both Jeremy and Stuart seem to show.
24:11Before I check on progress at the tavern, I've asked Stuart and Jeremy to meet me
24:16at one of Southampton's most visited exhibitions.
24:19Hello. How are you?
24:21Very well, yourself?
24:21Very good. Good morning.
24:25The Sea City Museum opened April the 10th, 2012,
24:31exactly a hundred years since Titanic's maiden voyage from Southampton.
24:36The vows went down first and the stars stuck up in me.
24:40With around 2,200 passengers and crew on board, the liner set sail for New York.
24:48Four days later, at 11.40pm, the ship struck an iceberg and sank, taking with it over 1,500 passengers
24:57and crew.
25:02I think it's really clear that so many people come to Southampton specifically because of the Titanic story.
25:09Yeah.
25:09And people kind of expect there to be a bit more of a trail, a few more obvious places to
25:16kind of visit,
25:16like on a pilgrimage.
25:18So let's go and have a look.
25:19Okay.
25:21So, gosh, this is all the crew on the Titanic. It's amazing how few faces we have to put the
25:30names.
25:32James McGrady, your guy, he's there.
25:35James McGrady's last known address was the platform tavern.
25:39Unlike others who tragically died, nobody has put a face to the name.
25:44Family members contributed these to put faces to the names.
25:50Yeah.
25:51But obviously, James McGrady didn't have anyone to do that for him and it would be nice
25:55if we could, in our research, manage to do that.
26:00They're all really young, everyone on the list is so, so young.
26:04Onward.
26:06James was one of 540 crew from Southampton who perished.
26:11So he was in the dining saloon, wasn't he?
26:14First class.
26:15Yeah.
26:16So that's where he would have been working.
26:17He was a first class steward.
26:18Steward.
26:19Yeah.
26:19William makes six pounds a month.
26:21He works hard for it.
26:23My God.
26:25One of hundreds of local working people simply trying to make a living.
26:31So many of the crew were on it because they were desperate to be fed properly and to get
26:36some six weeks' work.
26:37I think it's a shame we've got the name James McGrady on the wall, but there's no portrait.
26:42You know, who knows why, but it would be nice to fill in that little gap and feel like one
26:47is
26:47somehow contributing to history.
26:50It's an amazing exhibition.
26:52Quite airy.
26:53Yeah, I'm glad I came.
26:54It's taken 10 years, but I'm glad I came.
26:56Yeah.
26:56Yeah, it makes you realise how big of a party it was in Southampton's history.
27:00It was huge, you know.
27:02They've got a little tiny bit of that history at the Platform Tavern and I'm sure that we
27:06should take advantage of it.
27:12It has been a sobering afternoon at the Sea City Museum.
27:16Now it's back to the pub to check on progress with my homework.
27:20Top of my to-do list was reducing the menus.
27:24Let's see.
27:25Sea of the day.
27:25Scotch eggs, creamy fries, salt and pepper squares.
27:28Right over there.
27:29Gosh, tiny little, very clever, appropriate menu.
27:32Good.
27:33Alongside the more compact menu, I asked Jeremy to devise a lunchtime meal deal to tempt people in.
27:40This is our food deal.
27:41Any bap and a pint, 11 quid.
27:44That is a brilliant deal.
27:45As people are walking past, you might be able to get them with a bap and a pint.
27:49I think that's a really clever idea.
27:51What is this on the table?
27:52I think these are loyalty cards, aren't they?
27:55Indeed, yeah.
27:55And you can see they've gone down really well.
27:57The regular regulars are loving it, obviously.
28:01Yeah.
28:01We've got to try and reach out to the non-regulars.
28:03That's exactly the idea.
28:05With the meal deals, menus and loyalty cards all in hand...
28:09I'm going to have a quick look around.
28:10OK.
28:11Now time for a spot check on my request to keep this place clean.
28:15Well, already, this looks more fit for purpose.
28:20It's all set up.
28:21If a group came in, the floor has clearly just been washed before I arrived.
28:27But is this a reflection of the rest of the pub?
28:31That one, however, still leaves something to be desired.
28:35I mean, let's have a look at the kettle, shall we?
28:41Still needs cleaning.
28:44You didn't quite get to the kettle, Stuart, did you?
28:48We did clean it.
28:49Did you?
28:50I did.
28:50When?
28:51Oh, about three weeks ago, just after you left.
28:54You know, but that's the thing about cleaning, darling.
28:56It's like the sun rises and sets.
28:58You can't just do it once and then stop.
29:01I worry that men are just genetically and culturally not encouraged to clean.
29:07And it irritates me.
29:08Have you got any glass cleaner?
29:10Yes, we have.
29:11Well, use it on that mirror then, please.
29:14My sense of bonhomie may be waning.
29:17If we're going to try and get some lunchtime trays in here, we need it to be clean.
29:23The pub must be ship-shaped before I can get people in.
29:28Also, at the moment, any kind of marketing is lacking.
29:31I just can't get around the fact they're not advertising anything.
29:36They don't have a local beer named on a board outside.
29:39They don't have any kind of food offering showing.
29:42They're just basically not doing anything at all to encourage people to come in,
29:47which I really don't get.
29:51Despite trimming their menu and offering a meal deal, without customers crossing the threshold,
29:57Stuart and Jeremy might as well just shut up shop.
30:01I'm sorry, but I think you're absolutely wrong not to advertise.
30:05People need to know that you're doing a meal deal.
30:07I'm intending to try and market this both to tourists and people in the city.
30:14I want Stuart and Jeremy to create a leaflet that I can use to drum up business.
30:19It needs to be all singing and all dancing.
30:21Yeah. OK.
30:22Flyers for the pub could be a fantastic way to get punters through the door.
30:27Like a little bit.
30:28I don't know why it's made it so bloody small.
30:32This is doing my thing.
30:35While the boys have been busy with their flyer,
30:40I've been doing my own detective work around their connections to the Titanic
30:44and I have found some useful bits.
30:48I have a few bits of Titanic memorabilia, which I think should go up on the wall.
30:57Fantastic.
30:58We've got, most importantly, is the tavern as it was back in the day.
31:04That's a lovely old photograph.
31:05I've seen that a number of times.
31:06Showing a sign for good rooms, which is where James McGrady would have stayed.
31:12And I'm also delighted to have found a portrait of the man who once stayed here.
31:19Then we have the all-important portrait of Mr McGrady.
31:24Oh, you found one?
31:24Yeah, it's amazing.
31:26This simple but powerful picture is to become the centrepiece of a wall in the tavern that commemorates
31:32the Titanic. And they say even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day.
31:39So, I have another idea for theirs.
31:43So, I'm going to leave you to put up this.
31:45Yeah.
31:46As your clock has already stopped, do you not think that we could also put the hands for time
31:51the Titanic struck the iceberg?
31:54That's a fantastic idea.
31:56Yeah?
31:56Shouting about the pub's connections to the Titanic is really key if we're to get tourists
32:02through the door.
32:05With Stuart on clock watch, it's up to Jeremy and I to drum up some trade with the flyers
32:10for the pub's lunchtime deals.
32:12Fantastic.
32:13Lovely.
32:14Okay, have fun.
32:16Time for some old-fashioned but very direct marketing.
32:19This may be low-tech tactics in a modern digital world,
32:23but meeting and greeting people can often reap rewards.
32:27Platform tavern, live music, lunchtime offers,
32:31two-for-one pizzas, friendly service.
32:38Hi, folks.
32:39I just wanted to give you a leaflet to my pub.
32:41Excuse me.
32:42Can I just for a pint, a glass of wine and a bap?
32:47Can I give you one of them?
32:49Uh, you can.
32:49Thank you, sir.
32:51She's run off ahead.
32:52I couldn't keep up.
32:54I don't know if she gets the energy from.
32:57Can I give you one of those for our pub?
33:00Come on, Jeremy.
33:01I'm winning.
33:06But is Stuart with his new display back at the pub?
33:11I'm just playing it by ear, really.
33:13I'll put pictures up and see how they look.
33:15All we can do is try and, um, let's see what the response we get.
33:20Can I give you one of those?
33:22Thank you so much.
33:23I think most people that know the pub like it just need more people to come to it.
33:27You're winning.
33:30Years of practice.
33:34Advertising is the basic of any hospitality business.
33:37Now we need to make sure the pub looks the part.
33:40Let's see how he's, ooh, doing.
33:43I like, I like it, I like it.
33:46Oh, hello.
33:47But I wouldn't be me if I didn't have to fiddle with something.
33:50That looks great.
33:52Can I make one small comment?
33:54Of course you can.
33:55Don't know.
33:56So, it is all about him.
33:58Yeah.
33:59So, can we swap them round?
34:01Yeah.
34:01Go on, you do that.
34:03They look great.
34:05Good.
34:05Good.
34:06Well done.
34:08Menus streamlined.
34:09Meal deals advertised.
34:12Served up in a clean pub with a titanic tribute in place.
34:16The pub is almost ready for relaunch.
34:19So, the first thing is, I'd like you to open on Tuesday.
34:23The very first day we came in and I was unfair and I got the pub full of people.
34:27I didn't feel like you were not well.
34:30Neither of you were not leaping forward, wreathed in smiles to be particularly welcoming.
34:34No, exactly.
34:35That's all I'm saying.
34:36We're not used to busy lunch times at the moment.
34:37So, will I be prepared for a busy one on Tuesday?
34:41Fantastic.
34:41Yeah.
34:42Yeah?
34:42Yeah.
34:43Okay.
34:43Good.
34:43Thank you very much.
34:45When I finally leave this pub behind, I want to be sure it's well and truly back on the map.
34:51The Platform Tavern is still in existence, still serving fine ale, and a limited but affordable menu,
35:00and with a sprinkling of titanic stardust.
35:16In Southampton, down by the docks, is the Platform Tavern, where my voyage to help save it is almost completed.
35:25This has been a very, very tough run to crack.
35:29General kind of lack of enthusiasm and energy has been quite a sap on me.
35:35Feeling better. Cold's all gone.
35:38Jeremy runs the business with landlord Stuart.
35:40I'm always quite positive. It has to be quite positive. Especially if you're a landlord,
35:45you can't stand there moaning about things. It's your job to listen to other people moaning about things.
35:52What I would like to get out of today is to show them that there is a market,
35:57there are clients for what they're offering. You know, this slimmed down menu, the loyalty card,
36:02the titanic theme. You know, all of these things should help to rebuild their following.
36:08Stuart, Jeremy.
36:09Hello. How are you, sir?
36:11Very well.
36:12Hello.
36:12How are you doing?
36:13I'm encouraged to see the pub already showing positive signs.
36:18Very nice. What's on the other side?
36:22What?
36:22November meal deals.
36:24Yeah, that's about the beers we have on, and that's about the food.
36:28Can I take that out?
36:29Yeah, take it out, yeah. It's a bit heavy.
36:32It's all right. Can I go out this way?
36:34Yeah, sure. We'll get it out there now.
36:37Thanks, Donna.
36:39OK.
36:43I am pretty bloody impressed at this. It looks amazing.
36:50This pub grew a following for its live music, but today the new look of the tavern tells
36:56guests all about its titanic links.
36:59What kind of music do you play?
37:02What kind of music do you play?
37:04Yeah, it's basically folk band style.
37:09It's from very contemporary through to sort of a couple of traditional things.
37:13Well, we're looking to give the atmosphere of the steerage in the Titanic.
37:22What Stuart and Jeremy don't know is this time I'm not surprising them with regular pub customers.
37:29Hello, welcome.
37:31Hello.
37:31Come in, please.
37:33Instead, I've invited representatives from Southampton's tourist industry to see if the tavern could
37:38become part of the city's Titanic walking trail.
37:46Come.
37:46Hello.
37:47Pleased to meet you.
37:48Come in, come in, come through, come through, darling.
37:52For Stuart.
37:54I know a few of these faces already, yeah.
37:57A chance to tell the Titanic tale linked to this pub.
38:01Basically, when I took the pub on in 1997, I didn't really know about the links to the Titanic.
38:07And then I gradually found out about James McGrady and the fact that he actually lived here.
38:13His last known address was the Platform Tavern.
38:15When you think of the Titanic, there's an awful lot of chatter about the asters and the great and the
38:20good and the captain and, you know, bloody block. But actually, it is a real, an incredibly human tale.
38:28You know, this is our way of paying homage to him.
38:30So we're very glad that you're here and that we could introduce it to you.
38:34Thank you so much.
38:35A bit more there about the Titanic.
38:39We're right in the centre of the main bit of the Titanic story.
38:42It's just a few metres from here where the ship sailed from.
38:45Tour guide Cheryl Butler has a very personal connection to the ship's history.
38:51And I do a lot of tours and a lot of talks and where people get really interested is when
38:55you
38:56can drop in those stories. I had three relatives on the Titanic so I can sort of tell very specific
39:01stories about them. And so having another one where you've got that personal link and you can
39:06actually say to people, you can go and be in the place where he stayed.
39:10A story that has resonated with Gemma from Go Southampton.
39:15Because as a city, we're always split between the Hollywood glamorising of Titanic story,
39:21but also the sensitive side. I think it's really important to see his face,
39:24see his eyes and see what he looked like as a person. And seeing James celebrated,
39:29it's just a beautiful thought that somebody is honouring his life.
39:33But what do the tour guides think about promoting this pub to potential tourists?
39:38I'll certainly send them information about the Platform Tavern,
39:42because they're always interested in new things that they can promote
39:45to the industry and to visitors and tour operators. So I'll certainly be bringing people in.
39:55It's looking like thumbs up from the tour guides.
39:58All right, everybody's waiting. You're together, yeah?
40:05Best time in England. Oh, welcome to England. Welcome to Blighty.
40:11With tour guides working closely with cruise ships,
40:14Laura Breen from Southampton Cruise Concierge could prove highly influential.
40:23A lot of people will come from different countries, so they just want to experience
40:27what a British pub would be like, and I think this is a perfect example. You've got the live music,
40:31you've got the traditional food. Perfect location for the cruise terminals. So yeah,
40:37I would always recommend to come here.
40:39This is music to my ears. But is the pub grub hitting the right note?
40:44So you have fish and chips. What did you think? I thought they were excellent. The main thing,
40:51from my point of view as a tour guide, people like to taste the local cuisine. And of course,
40:57fish and chips is a big thing in England. And I'd be very pleased to recommend it to anyone.
41:05Thank you so much. That is exactly the feedback I was looking for, so I'm very grateful to you.
41:09No, no, it's a pleasure. No, I'm enjoying it.
41:15Thank you. Excellent.
41:18The thing that I want you both to remember is you're both in this because it was worth it.
41:24It is worth it, the platform. So nothing is going to be solved by you sitting about and
41:29waiting for something to happen. I think you've got a really nice product. I think you've got a really
41:33nice pub. You've got a nice friendship. Don't it up. Thank you, Alex. Thank you for everything
41:40you've done. I'm really glad I had a chance to hang out with you two. It's been nice. Great.
41:45Really nice to meet you. Really nice to meet you. Thank you so much.
41:54We did need telling off some departments. It was a bit like my mum having a go at me when
41:59I was a little
41:59boy, but I'm glad you've seen the pub like this because it's how it's supposed to be,
42:06you know, when it's busy and bubbly and that's where you think, ah, now I get what the platform
42:10town is all about. I think the day has been more positive than I expected. The tour guiding groups
42:18seem very enthusiastic and very taken with the story and really appreciative of the food offerings.
42:25I've basically reminded them. I'd like to remind anybody in their shoes that there's no point
42:31just sitting there and waiting for customers to come to you. You have to go out and drag them in.
42:43Been good. Been pretty positive. We've had some good uptakes on the menus, on the deals.
42:49We've been keeping the place clean. Sue's been keeping on top of the kettle.
42:54The naughty car's been very popular with the locals. We've had a few people in and looked at the
43:00Titanic wall, but it's all been going pretty well.
43:11Hey, I'm Lucy. It is you. I watch Lucy Logan live every day. I'm your number one fan.
43:17Donna's starting to creep me out. She seems to be everywhere I go. The world is going to discover.
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43:23Brand new drama with Jill Halfpenny and Sally Lindsay. Number one fan starts Monday at 9.
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