FOOD & DRINK
“ The crazy thing about the economics is that it’ s cheaper to buy beef from Brazil and Australia than it is from a farm in Staffordshire,” he says.“ We source what we can locally but it is about striking a balance.”
“ If I was on a high street, or if I didn’ t have my other businesses- if this was all I did- I wouldn’ t be here now.”
He is now exploring how hospitality businesses, farmers and producers might create greater security through more local supply relationships. It is one example of the pragmatism beneath the theatre and storytelling.
The price of an experience
Wilkinson is candid about the pressure facing hospitality. As chair of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce’ s hospitality forum, he has been campaigning on taxation, business rates and the increasing cost of employing people.
At a recent forum meeting, operators were asked whether, given the choice, they would open another hospitality business in the current climate. The answer around the room was a resounding no.
“ Hospitality is the hardest one because of the complexities of the bureaucratic system and its catch-all tax system, when the businesses are actually very different,” he says.“ Do people want to go somewhere and have somebody wait on them and make them feel like they’ ve had a special experience, or do they want to touch a screen and order something quickly? There is a place for all of those.”
But those models do not carry the same costs. In a service-led restaurant, people are fundamental to the product.
“ We used to have a management meeting if our labour went above 40 percent of sales,” Wilkinson says.“ We can’ t get it below 55 percent now, and that is just not sustainable. You have to be resourceful in what you’ re doing.
“ If I was on a high street, or if I didn’ t have my other businesses- if this was all I did- I wouldn’ t be here now.”
So, why persist?
“ The passion for it,” he says.“ I’ m really proud of the place and the story. I think it’ s really important. And I’ m kind of addicted to it. I’ m a people-pleaser at heart.”
He also sees reason for optimism. Through the chamber’ s forum, Lunar is working alongside other independent operators and engaging with the local MP. The conversations have at least demonstrated that these pressures are shared.
At the same time, Wilkinson is careful not to turn dinner into a lecture on hospitality economics.
“ I want people to come here and have a great time, not be preached at,” he says.“ Life is hard enough. You come here to spend money, to be entertained and to have an experience. We’ ll advocate in some places, but equally, we want people to come here and just enjoy it.”
That experience, he believes, provides the value. Lunar provides freshly prepared food, distinctive surroundings, local art, reclaimed furniture and a meal served on china carrying one of the world’ s most recognisable names. What’ s not to love?
A reason to stay
Lunar’ s location is so much more than a backdrop. Wilkinson sees food and drink businesses as part of the infrastructure Staffordshire needs if it is to convert visitors into staying tourists.
World of Wedgwood already welcomes coachloads of international guests, while destinations including Middleport Pottery, Trentham and the county’ s other ceramics attractions tell different parts of the same story. The challenge is connecting those places and persuading visitors to spend longer in the area rather than returning to their coach at the end of the day.
Wilkinson has previously floated the idea of a circular“ ceramics bus” and a joint ticket linking attractions. His broader argument is that regeneration cannot be passive. Restaurants, makers, visitor attractions and other independent businesses need to collaborate, recommend one another and give people a fuller reason to come.
Lunar is playing its part by being more than somewhere reserved for a specialoccasion tasting menu. Its seven-day opening, themed evenings, full-moon feasts, art and wine events, co-working offer and first wedding are all attempts to use the venue in different ways and bring more people through its doors.
It is, in many respects, a modern echo of the society from which it takes its name- a place where people met over food, exchanged ideas and perhaps saw familiar things differently opening up new connections and possibilities.
Wilkinson’ s own morning captures that restless ethos. One moment he is in Barlaston talking about full English breakfasts on Wedgwood and the next he is back to a theatre build in London Bridge and a conversation about taking an immersive show to a larger audience.
The settings and menus change, but his instinct remains the same to find a story, create an experience and keep pushing it forward. At Lunar, that means refusing to choose between Staffordshire’ s past and its future. Both are brought to the table, quite literally!
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