The “Open House” Mistake

Most landlords market their Sunday Roast like a desperate lover. “Please come and see us. We have plenty of space. We are open all day. You can book anytime.”

This reeks of desperation. In the mind of the customer, “plenty of space” translates to “nobody else wants to eat there.” If you are always available, you are a commodity. Commodities are cheap. If you are hard to get, you are a luxury. Luxuries are expensive.

The most profitable pubs in the UK are not the ones begging for bookings. They are the ones posting “Sorry, we are fully booked until November” on their Instagram stories. The “Sold Out” sign doesn’t just mean you are full; it acts as a magnet for future demand. It signals: “This must be good because everyone else wants it.”

The Philosophy: The Velvet Rope Theory

Rory Sutherland and Robert Cialdini (author of Influence) teach us that humans want what they cannot have. It is the “Nightclub Effect.” A nightclub with an empty queue is dead. A nightclub with a velvet rope and a bouncer holding people back—even if it’s empty inside—is the hottest place in town.

As an operator, you need to erect a Velvet Rope around your Sunday Service. You need to stop managing “availability” and start managing “scarcity.” Even if you can squeeze in 150 covers, it might be smarter to cap it at 120 and tell 30 people “No.” Those 30 people will book 3 weeks in advance next time. And they will tell their friends: “You have to book early, it’s impossible to get in.” That sentence is worth £10,000 in free marketing.

The Tactics: How to Engineer Demand

You don’t have to lie. But you do have to frame the truth. Here is how you create the frenzy.

1. The Artificial Cap (The “1pm” Rule) Everyone wants to eat at 1:00 PM.

• The Mistake: Trying to squeeze everyone in at 1:00 PM, crashing the kitchen, and ruining the service.
• The Tactic: Cap the 1:00 PM slot aggressively.
• “We have zero tables left for 1pm. We have space at 12pm or 3:30pm.”
• You force the demand into the shoulder hours, smoothing your service and filling the “dead” times. You are “Sold Out” of the prime product, which makes the sub-prime product (3:30 PM) feel like a lucky win.

2. The “Warning Shot” Email Don’t send an email saying “Book now.” Send an email warning them they might miss out.

• Subject Line: Warning: Sunday Service nearly full.
• Body: “Just a heads up. The beef delivery has arrived, but the bookings are flying in. We have 4 tables left for this Sunday. If you were thinking about it, do it now. We hate turning regulars away at the door.”
• This triggers Loss Aversion. The fear of missing out is twice as powerful as the desire to gain.

3. The “Social Proof” Rejection When you are full, shout about it.

• The Tactic: Post on Facebook/Instagram on Sunday morning.
• “We are strictly SOLD OUT today. Please do not walk in without a booking as we will have to turn you away. Bookings are now open for NEXT Sunday.”
• This does two things:
  1. It saves your staff from angry walk-ins.
  2. It tells the 2,000 people watching your feed: “This place is successful. I need to get organised for next week.”

4. Close the Bookings Early Don’t leave online bookings open until 11:00 AM on Sunday.

• The Tactic: Close online bookings at 9:00 PM on Saturday.
• “Online bookings are now CLOSED for tomorrow. Walk-ins only for the bar area.”
• This creates a “booking window.” It trains your customers to commit early. If they know they can book at the last minute, they will flake. If they know the window closes, they commit.

The Software Pitch: Know Your Limit

Scarcity only works if you actually know your capacity. If you say “Sold Out” but then have empty tables, you look foolish. If you accept bookings but run out of meat, you look incompetent.

You need to know the exact intersection of Kitchen Capacity and Food Availability.

You need the Roast Forecaster.

This tool is your capacity engine.

• It tells you: “Based on the meat you bought, you have exactly 110 portions.”
• Once you hit 110 bookings, you close the book. You are “Sold Out” of food, even if you have empty chairs.
• It gives you the confidence to say “No,” knowing that you have maximized your profit without risking your reputation.

Scarcity is a game of confidence. The data gives you the confidence to play it.

👉 Get the tool here: https://smartpubtools.com/sunday-roast-forecaster/

The Conclusion

Stop being the “always open” pub. Start being the “hard to get” pub. It feels counterintuitive to turn money away. But by creating scarcity today, you guarantee a full house for the rest of the year.