Recorded live at Glee 2025, our latest Underground episode with Paul Pleydell (Pleydell Smithyman) and Barry Knight (The Full Range) boils success down to something very simple: give people a visit they want to talk about, then back it up with food and service that feel worth paying for. This post turns that conversation into a set of practical steps for owners, directors and managers who want to see results now, not in some distant plan.
Start with the “guess what?” test
Paul framed it neatly: “I went to XXXX garden centre and guess what?” If your customers cannot finish that sentence, you have work to do. It is a powerful test because it forces focus. What is the one thing that makes your place shareable, even in a short conversation at the school gate or in the queue at work?
Paul’s steer is clear: “Make sure you’re doing things you’re memorable for.” Do not spread effort across fifteen small ideas. Choose one or two signature moments and make them unmissable. Which leads to the next point.
Be famous for something small, then build around it
Signature moments do not need big capital. They need intent. In cafés, Paul suggests a single dish that people will cross town for: “If you’ve got a café, have a signature dish you’re famous for… a lemon meringue pie a foot high.” Your version might be giant scones, a seasonal traybake, a children’s ice cream sundae that arrives with a small flourish. Pick one. Name it. And make it famous. Train the team to point it out.
Outside food, the same logic holds. A planting demo that runs on the hour. A handwashing tap and step stools that make family visits easier. These are small, human touches that build stories.
Win on experience when you cannot win on price
No independent will out-buy the larger chains, Barry is matter of fact about that: “You might not always win on price, but you should always win on customer experience and attention to detail.” Value is felt, not just calculated. Customers will pay fairly when the visit feels considered from start to finish.
Where to look for those feelings of value:
- Attention to detail: attentive knowledgeable staff, clean crockery, quick clear-down, full water jugs.
- Flow: sightlines into key categories, logical routes that do not backtrack, clear wayfinding to the café and loos.
- Time well spent: shaded seating, a safe corner for buggies, somewhere for children to draw while adults finish their tea.
None of this requires a rebuild. It requires walking the site as a customer would, then acting.
Food is your margin engine
Barry is blunt: hospitality should lead on margin. That only happens when the offer is tight and the operation is disciplined. You are not competing with grand hotels. You are competing with a quick lunch at home. As Paul puts it, “You’re competing with the simplicity of an air fryer at home. So why should people get up and come to you?”
A few practical suggestions:
- Make the display do the selling. Mouthwatering bakery displays, neat portions, clear allergen advice.
- A quality coffee offering. Barry puts it plainly: “let’s serve a good cup of coffee,” not just the convenience route where you “push a button, to keep things flowing.” If you get a hot drinks offer right: teas, coffees, hot chocolates, that will be the highest margin that you make.
- Source locally. “Garden centres have a real opportunity to work locally” via a strong local fruit & veg supplier who aggregates nearby producers. Pair that with “one local supplier… and potentially one national supplier,” which cuts the number of vehicles and can improve pricing through volume.
Do these basics and hospitality pulls its weight across the whole site: more dwell, more sales, better reviews.
Put numbers behind the romance
Great experiences can and should be measured. Paul calls out the “dull but vital” part: look at EPOS and management accounts and make decisions from facts. You already have the data. Use it to trim the tail to make room for new profit centres.
Make it better before you make it bigger
Growth is tempting, especially after a good season. Paul’s advice is to sweat the space you’ve got first. Increase sales density, fix pinch points, and only then consider an extension. You will fund more of the next phase from cash if the current plans perform.
A 30-day action plan
You do not need a taskforce. You need a calendar and a few focused sprints.
Week 1: Walk and fix
- Do the “pushchair, tray, shopping bag” walk from car park to café to till. List every friction point.
- Remove one bay of slow stock.
- Clean, paint, repair, tidy. Small jobs that change the feel.
Week 2: Launch the signature
- Pick one hero item, ensure it’s memorable.
- Train every café team member to talk about it in one sentence.
- Put it on a small plinth by the till. Add it to the A-board outside.
Week 3: Service
- Time the café queue at three points each day. Move kit or people to cut average waits.
- Introduce a simple table touch-in: “Is everything alright, can I get you anything else?”
- Add one small surprise for children, like a colouring card that links to a plant they can spot in the shop.
Week 4: Share and sell
- Frame your “guess what?” moment in social posts and email. Use real photos, not stock.
- Offer a midweek bundle that pairs the signature dish with a drink.
- Ask for reviews at the till and reply to them personally.
What good looks like by the end of the quarter
- Your team can say, without hesitation, what you are famous for.
- Dwell time rises, and with it the attach rate on add-ons.
- The café margin is steady and understood.
- Customers start finishing the sentence for you.
Looking ahead
There is no silver bullet. There is a clear path. Focus on one or two memorable moments, get the basics right in food and flow, and back your choices with simple numbers. Do this and you build something that price alone cannot beat: a visit that feels worth it.
If you want a sounding board as you shape your “guess what?” moment, we’re here as a creative partner and trusted team. Let’s grow better, one practical change at a time.
Check out the full episode of The Underground Podcast, featuring Paul Pleydell (Pleydell Smithyman) and Barry Knight (The Full Range), below: