Silence is golden for Winchmore Hill pub

March 21, 2016

The Potters Arms in Winchmore Hill, near Amersham, has achieved 100% in a customer mystery visit.

The traditional village pub, run by landlord Richard Edwards, is only the sixth pub ever to achieve a perfect score in the six years since owners Brakspear started the mystery dining scheme.

The mystery customers had nothing but praise for the Potters Arms when they dined there recently.

Comments on the report included: “I was particularly impressed by the friendliness of the staff”, “high food standards”, “I would recommend this pub to anyone: it has something to offer all ages and demographics” and “excellent value for money.”

Richard said: “We are really pleased to have achieved 100%. We are a small team and it has been a real boost to everyone to be recognised for our food and customer service.  The mystery customer report shows that every member of the team makes a difference to our guests’ experience.”

He adds: “We are always looking to make sure that everyone has a fantastic dining experience and do everything we can to make sure customers have a great time.”

The Potters Arms’ menu offers a blend of pub classics and more restaurant style dishes, with options including fillet steak, burgers, fish and chips, cod wrapped in prosciutto, calamari, belly pork and confit of duck.  A Supper Club Menu is also available at set times offering two courses for £12 and three for £16.

Tom Davies, chief executive of brewer and pub operator Brakspear, based in Henley, said: “The fact that only five other pubs have ever managed to score 100% in a mystery visit makes this a significant achievement by Richard, and all the team at the Potters Arms.

“We’ve been running this scheme for six years with mystery dining company the Silent Customer, so we can see clear patterns of what’s important to customers.  Whether they’re in a gastropub or a community local, the biggest factor in whether they enjoy their visit is the customer service and as these full marks show, the Potters Arms is getting this spot on.”

Landlord Richard has been at the Potters Arms, which also offers four bed and breakfast rooms, for four years and has worked in the restaurant industry as a chef for 15 years.

Janet Wood, founder of Henley company The Silent Customer, which operates Brakspear’s mystery visits, said, “Scoring 100% in our mystery visits is far from easy, as indicated by the very few who have done so. We make high demands on our licensees when we visit their pub, so to achieve full marks across everything from the staff greeting to the quality of the food and drink and the marketing, is a real achievement. Richard and his team at the Potters Arms deserve our hearty congratulations.” www.thesilentcustomer.com

Pop in for pint and a laugh

In addition to the excellent food and service offered, the Potters Arms is also the perfect place to enjoy a pint. Customers are able to relax by the inglenook fireplace or in the bar, and four-legged friends are also very welcome.

The Potters Arms also offers an excellent entertainment programme, including quizzes and regular comedy nights which often well-known comedians. It is staging its first ever comedy festival, taking place on 29, 30 April and 1 May.

The festival will feature top comedians including Lee Hurst, the winner of the funniest joke at the Edinburgh Festival and also a kids’ comedy workshop. It will raise money for Brakspear’s Charity of the Year Sue Ryder and also Great Ormond Street Hospital.

For more information and opening hours, visit: www.pottersarms.co.uk

Caption to above photograph:  Potters Arms landlord Richard Edwards (right) celebrates his 100% mystery visit score with Brakspear business development manager John Beazley