In March of this year Karel Skibinsky and Ian Taitte opened their Half and Half lounge bar in the middle of Croydon’s restaurant area to prove that an upmarket operation with imported beers at its core could cut the mustard in this part of the world. Now nine months down the line, a proper gestation period, they are able to declare their concept a success,
From a family of hoteliers in the Czech Republic, a heartland of world class beer, Skibinsky felt there was a gap in the UK market for a Czech kind of beer bar, somewhere informal but comfortable and civilised, where music is for the background and conversation holds centre stage.
To emphasise the Czechness of their new venture the two partners decided to major on Budvar draught on the bar with supporting roles being given to Staropramen and Leffe. Indeed the very name of their outlet , “Half and Half” is an anglicised version of the Czech name for Budvar Original and Budvar Dark mixed – a very popular drink in the Czech Republic and now catching on here as well. The special feature of the Half and Hallf operation is that their Budvar duo font, which dispenses both Budvar Original and Dark, has a third mixer tap dedicated to dispensing Half and Half. To date this is the only one of its kind in the UK although every Budvar duo font has third tap potential. In the nine months that the beer lounge bar has been open the number of Half and Half drinkers has grown exponentially and there are now two duo fonts on the bar.
Around this core draught offering about 60 different bottled beers are offered - including from Belgium, the Czech Republic and Germany as well as places like Namibia and New Zealand. The ABV of these offerings varies from 4% to 9%. Skibinsky likes to put on a new beer every week and they can be fairly exotic. Like for instance the current special, Belgian “Captain Cooker” (sic) a 5.7ABV amber coloured beer brewed to a New Zealand recipe using Manuka leaves. Also they can be down right challenging, like another Belgian Vanhonsebrouck “Brigand”, a classic blond triple ale with a 9% ABV.
Essentially a wet bar, the only food being offered being bar bites and pastries with the coffee, Skibinsky reckons that 70% of sales are beer, but wine and spirits also have their place. The decision not to develop food is part of the Half and Half marketing strategy which springs from its location in the middle of Croydon’s restaurant area. “There is no way we could go head to head with the local food outlets” says Taitte “so what we have done has made ourselves the place for pre-dinner drinks and post-prandial get togethers”. That this works very well is demonstrated by the fact that the large and rather posh next door Indian restaurant, frequently crowded out, sends its diners to the Half and Half for the pre-dinner drinks and then collects them when their table is ready.
Besides focusing on great beers Skibinsky insists the Half and Half success story is also due in part to the attention he insists his staff pay to everything related to the beers they sell. This includes everything from first class cellar management to the correct presentation of beers to the customer. Both Budvar Original and Dark for instance are served in Cotinental sized nucleated glasses, customs lined and stamped, to accommodate the Czech head. “Part of the experience of a lager conditioned beer has to be a foamy head”, he observes. “It is a critical component of the taste experience and you can’t just chop it off and serve it as though it were a cask ale”.
Other activities that have propelled the Skibinsky- Taitte concept through its first nine months are beer tastings for enthusiasts (16 people forked out £15 each to attend a recent Belgian beer tasting) whilst a room for private events is offered. This is free and includes the opportunity to lay on your own music provided that the punters drink their share. Just recently a Croydon cycling club had a good night out on this basis. One on going promotion has also proved very popular however as a credit crunch beater. From Monday to Thursday every week between 1pm and 8pm everything- including beer, wine, cocktails, bar bites, just everything- comes at 20% off.
The Half and Half success says Skibinsky is down to great beer, beautifully looked after and presented and having sufficient imagination to understand what your customers want
