September at last!

It's September and we are so happy!
It's the start of the Autumn - and hopefully an Indian summer- to top off a great season. Cornwall has really needed this bumper summer and I think every local business is breathing a sigh of relief - we live again!
The autumn gives us a chance to reflect on what has been successful for Peppercorn this summer, and what hasn't. Here are some for instances:
Successes - Blue Moon events. These have worked well for our customers - we have seen the same people pretty much every month, alongside some lovely new faces too - and feel that we are really getting to know what you want to eat and how you want  to eat it.The events have also worked well for us as a team- it is an ENORMOUS amount of research and effort - but we love it and it informs our menu for the future - the dishes which were easier for us to prep and serve and which were voted for by our customers - will stay on the menu, provided we can price them correctly.
                 - The extra table - the one by the loo! I know it isn't ideal to sit and eat right next to the loo - however it is definitely better than going home unfed because there's nowhere for you to sit - and people really seem to appreciate this.It's also increased our seating capacity by 25% - I think we'll all see the real benefit of this extra seating in the cold wet winter months when waiting outside for a table to become free is really out of the question.
               - The espresso machine - despite the inevitable extra time it takes to make cappuccinos, lattes etc, everyone loves the new coffees (staff included!).
              - Puddings! We've dedicated a lot of time to developing our pudding menu, and you - our customers - seem to love them. It appears that Peppercorn is now becoming somewhere to lunch as well as somewhere to come for coffee, tea and cake. this is really exciting for us because it allows us to continue to experiment with the dishes that we love.
               - Cakes - we are creating a new line of cakes - a more exotic offering which includes delicacies such as Rose and vanilla cake, coffee and cardamom cream cake, rose petal shortbread, lavender and chocolate cake ....the possibilities are endless.


Failures - the pizza evenings of last summer. We looked at the figures and realised with horror that they actually made us a loss! So despite the fact that several people asked us to consider doing it again this year, we really couldn't.
              - staying open until 5pm. Again - we had to look at the breakdown of the day and we quickly noticed that from 4 until 5pm we saw very few customers, and the income from that last hour was not enough to cover our overheads - so we decided to close at 4pm and to stop hot food which requires the gas hob (and a dedicated cook) at 3pm. These decisions are very carefully thought out and discussed at length by Lisa and me, and often we find them really difficult decisions to make - because the last thing we want to do is to upset or alienate our customers - but of course, we also have to stay afloat. It's a delicate balance, and we both are astounded at the learning curve we are on. Ultimately it's the same as many other  areas of life - it's the little things that make the difference between success and failure.

We are having SUCH FUN inventing dishes, cordials, spice blends, cakes etc;at Peppercorn and we look forward to seeing you all very soon. Remember to check the menu on our website to keep up with any changes. Do give us a call to ask about anything at all - on 01736 719584.