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BLT 17th Oct: Bean & Grain - Business Think Tank

From time to time at BLT, we spend a 'think tank' session pooling our combined resources and know-how to help out a fellow BLT member with a business issue, either with advice or acting as a sounding board. On this occasion, David Banes needed…
Tyranny of choice
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LIWF: Wine Sales Psychology - Number anchoring and the Von Resthorff effect

Last week's London International Wine Fair 'LIWF' had some fascinating seminars as well as beautiful wines.  This is a summary of a section of a panel debate on wine sales psychology: How to drive people to buy more wine?   1. We anchor…
food of love orgasm chemical

If oxytocin be the food of love, play on...

“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” - Alan D. Wolfelt Food has always gone 'hand in hand' with love...or perhaps 'mouth to mouth' would be a more appropriate description? So, it's no surprise that throughout the…
Alcohol sober october

Go Sober for October - literary creativity or personal longevity...what's it to be?

"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy...but the Bible says, love your enemy." -Frank Sinatra Mankind has always had a love:hate relationship with alcohol ('mankind' meaning both men and women, just to be clear!) The medical profession loathe…
Tyranny of choice

Do you speak wino?

The human palate is apparently the weakest of the five traditional senses....which raises an important question regarding wine tasting: how much b*llsh*t is involved? Most (premium) retailers like to go by the adage, 'You get what you…
Vicars Game - Meat
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MarkEATing Case Study: Vicars Game Newsletter

Challenge Vicars Game sells far more than just meat - it is a successful independent supplier to trade and public alike from its location in Ashampstead. Most of Vicars' trade had come via reputation and by word of mouth - marketing activities…
Shop floor

MarkEATing - from Newsletter to Foodletter

You first eat with your eyes Having written for a fair few restaurants and hotels in my time, I've often been struck by how well some of them market themselves - mouth-watering images with memorable captions and striking presentation. However,…
Tyranny of choice
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The Tyranny of Choice

Choice - a Publican's View The trouble is they try to please everybody, and they end up pleasing nobody. They're trying to do too many things. They're trying to entertain you, feed you, offer wines & spirits, when all you want is a decent…
Tyranny of choice
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The Moon Under Water - the synopsis of the Ideal Pub

My favourite public-house, the Moon Under Water, is only two minutes from a bus stop, but it is on a side-street, and drunks and rowdies never seem to find their way there, even on Saturday nights.  George Orwell (or Eric Arthur Blair…