swanageview: Sea Salt

Monday, May 14, 2012

Sea Salt

Anonymous said...
The current owners of the Sea Salt have yet again reduced the asking price for the cafe/bar & restaurant. In the event that someone does actually take it over, what type of business would you like to see running in these premises? High end restaurant, Asian all you can eat buffet, grill house, community bakery? And should the name be kept or changed? What ideas do you have?

66 comments:

Anonymous said...: What on earth is of your business?; 14/5/12 3:47 pm
David Furmage said...: Bar , casino and a strip joint. It could hold poledancing lessons for ladies and even men if they want to keep fit.; 14/5/12 4:30 pm
Anonymous said...: It would make an outstanding Tourist Information Center/Tea Room. Proceeds from the sale of the White House could be invested to make this possible.; 14/5/12 4:34 pm
Anonymous said...: Strip joint, Dave?

I thought the dunes at Studland offer that, for free.

So I have been told....; 14/5/12 4:35 pm
David Furmage said...: Only for perverts like you as you seem to know more about the dunes ;) would be a bit cold aswell. Bar , casino which do quite well , though sex does sell.

Though if the place stays empty any longer I reckon pull it down to the shop levels and get rid of it all together. As for the trustees well there's a few ideas I could come up with to deal with these idiots. The Mowlem is an embarrassment to the town and a eyesore.; 14/5/12 5:10 pm
Anonymous said...: A couple of interesting suggestions above although, after careful consideration, I think the Tourist Center the best. The Mowlem is an awful looking building but in a great location, so it makes you wonder what the problem is. You would have thought someone like Wetherspoons would have snapped it up. As Dave Furmage points out it is an embarrassment to the town. Perhaps one of the trustees could post here and tell us the reasons a potential new owner can't be found.; 14/5/12 5:46 pm
Anonymous said...: Ah, Dave, suggesting strip joints...and calling others perverts?

You are so funny!; 14/5/12 6:16 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: I would like to have what Wetherspoons provides but this is not what is going to happen in sunny Swanage.

In the 1970s members of the Swanage Railway used to have lunch at the Mowlem because they gave us what we wanted: real ale, a wonderful view friendly service and good food at reasonable prices.

As the prices went up the quality of service went down and people like me who had been regular customers for 30 years were greated with the Swanage grunt.

What I would like to have is what the Wessex Belle Bistro on the Swanage Railway supplies. Good food at reasonable prices, well kept cask beer and friendly service.

I would like families with screaming children to be put in a sound proof room.

What I do not want is the owner's dog running all over the place while I am eating, locals talking over my head and leaning against my table.

I would like the name to go back to the Mowlem. I would like it to have a 5 star hygiene certicate and to have excellent toilets that are available for everyone to use while people are about even if this means a subsidy from the Council. I would also like it to have an operating model railway like there is in Kaffee und Kuchen in the High Street. Perhaps it could be like James May's model railway with a wine wagon coming along and then people can pour out the wine. The whole place could have a Swanage Railway theme in recognition of the members who used to go there.

2nd attempt at proving I am not a robot. Typing the letters on another post put the number lock on and I found it hard to unlock it.; 14/5/12 6:34 pm
Anonymous said...: So robin what you want is just you in your own front room. there are a lot of places to eat and enjoy in town, why not get out and find them. Or better still get of your backside and buy the lease at the mowlem then we can all come along.; 14/5/12 8:53 pm
David Furmage said...: Hey watching girls doing poledancing has come along way you know. It's even braced prime tv on BGT. And know of a few friends that do it purely to keep fit. Though there's no denying that sex sells. I am surprised not one has cottoned onto this already.; 14/5/12 9:09 pm
Anonymous said...: Rumour has it that the lease holders are no longer paying the rent. If true this puts the trust on the spot as they need the income. Has anyone any definite information about this?

If the trust can re-enter the restaurant on the grounds of non payment I hope they will seek an operator who would take on the restaurant and theatre and run them as a combined operation. That way we might get some joined up thinking about programming interlocking with the restaurant.; 14/5/12 9:54 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: There are a lot of good places to eat in Swanage and they are a lot better than the neighbouring towns and villages.

Unfortunately I did not think Sea Salt was one of them and I put some suggestions as to how they can improve.

I have not got the money or the skills to run a restaurant. I think the Swanage Railway would do a good job running the Mowlem Restaurant as would the management of the Black Swan, the Red Lion or even Bar 7. In such a prime location and with a captive market from theartre and cinema visitors it should be difficult to mess up running a bar and restaurant.

Perhaps people get over confident when they are in a prime position like Swanage sea front and by Corfe Castle and do not try as hard as people in Swanage High Street.; 14/5/12 10:31 pm
Anonymous said...: What about making a Town Development Trust - making sure that the Mowlem and the public loos on the front are part of it?

Then you apply for a Lottery grant or something similar and then - Swanage transformed!
Would take a minite or two to do though......; 15/5/12 7:14 am
Anonymous said...: The Mowlem Trustees have, quite rightly in my opinion, not interfered with the lease owners who were paying the rent on a regular basis. If the lease holders have now stopped paying rent(I believe this to be the case)then the Trustees are in a position to do something about it. I believe that they are, but these things are delicate and take time. Don't hold your breath but something is afoot!; 15/5/12 9:41 am
Anonymous said...: STC had a chance to establish a town trust (as have other similar sized towns) which could have managed Swanage Bay View and other town operations/assets (car parks, public loos, boat launch, White House TIC) to benefit the town......but did not pursue the idea, preferring to flog off its key asset. I doubt it has any interest in Sea Salt.; 15/5/12 10:14 am
Anonymous said...: Have any of the posters in this thread, or even on this blog site, done any research into the lease and what is involved? all wind bags Im affraid!; 15/5/12 12:32 pm
Anonymous said...: Trust me I have done all the research and have copies of the lease,gas, elect bills etc and am not a windbag. Minimum 180K turnover required just to break even. Got any more questions?; 15/5/12 1:34 pm
Anonymous said...: Trust me I have done all the research and have copies of the lease,gas, elect bills etc and am not a windbag. Minimum 180K turnover required just to break even. Got any more questions?
Ahh if you shake the tree you will see what comes down. Im glad you have done due dilligence, ergo you can speak with some authority, unlike the majority have. It was obvious most on here have no idea what is what. I see you are in agreement that it is not yet a viable option.; 15/5/12 1:41 pm
Anonymous said...: I will add that I thougt 240k was more likely to be nearer the mark. Plus the maintenance required.; 15/5/12 1:43 pm
Anonymous said...: Your right I have done due diligence and like I said the MINIMUM turnover required is 180K, that said I do think that it is viable providing the lease can be aquired at the right price. Whilst it has come down from £150K to just £35K this is still too much condidering the work that would be required just to get it open and running and the rent level. The plans I have don't show a profit for 3 years. Let me be clear that I think the rent levels are realistic for the size and location of the premises IF the place was running and the theatre was much more active.
I started this thread because though I have ideas for what the cafe/bar and restaurant should be I wanted to find out what the local community want from the premises as it is the locals that would make the difference between success and failure and they therefore need to be listened to and understood. I hope others will make thier opinions known without resorting to Mowlem bashing which solves nothing :); 15/5/12 2:18 pm
Anonymous said...: If the sums added up someone would have bought the lease long ago.

It is our business in so far as the Mowlem Theatre is the town's main cultural ad entertainment venue and the Mowlem Trust, the charity which runs it, relies on income from rental of the shops and restaurant to cover expenses. Regrettably the trust operates as a secret society in that it is completely undemocratic and does not permit the public to elect trustees, neither does it consult the public on how they wish it to deliver its objects as a charity. Indeed the trustees appear to take a perverse delight in not engaging the public, save in a subservient fundraising role. Charities which aim to provide some benefit for the community are supposed to operate in an open way and involve the community in decision making. So yes, it is our business. It is to the continuing shame of the trustees that they permit the most influential ones to operate a "my bat and my ball" approach and have sought to silence critics by threats of legal action.

The fact is that they should come into the modern age and change the terms of the trust to make it democratically accountable. This would also make the eligible for public funding. They boast of the fact that they do not receive any but fail to mention that this is due in great measure to the unaccountability of the trust.; 15/5/12 2:27 pm
Anonymous said...: this is still too much condidering the work that would be required just to get it open

Thats what mine thoughts were, there is a lot of underlying work that needs to be done. Also had the distinct impression the cinema etc would not , shall we say be over helpfull. I thought on 3 yrs aswell. Its a long time for money to not be making money, and with the reluctance of banks to fund loans and overdrafts it would have been tough going.

PS I hope you see my point about who knows what. LOts on here are very good at spending others money.; 15/5/12 2:33 pm
David Furmage said...: Go back A few years to what the restaurant used to be. Best place in town for good steaks , great views. Downstairs used to be busy aswell with a nice view. Though big sliding doors would open this right up. You want good hearty local food with even local fisherman delivering fish from their boats like in Bournemouth onto the beach. The whole of outside could do with a face lift but then so could some of the trustees ( ooopps :) ); 15/5/12 2:34 pm
Anonymous said...: The level of frustration and anger you will find in anyone who has had dealings with the trustees demonstrates that there is a real basis to the "Mowlem Bashing" I can only wish you luck if you deal with them.

As a local I would like to see the Mowlem used as the main venue for our festivals for starters. Film programming that went beyond the latest mass consumption stuff would help. A flexible approach to booking is a minimum requirement. Talk to the festival organisers and ask what they want.; 15/5/12 2:42 pm
Anonymous said...: I still think it is an ideal space for STC to rent as a TIC, and why not have space for art displays and for promoting other events going on in Swanage? Seems an ideal location to showcase our town and a use that would complement the Mowlem.

Use the White House (present site of the TIC) to generate the income to do this, and apply for grants to pay for the arts and events portion.

It would take some thinking but combining efforts to enhance arts and tourism could be a real win-win for Swanage and the Mowlem.; 15/5/12 3:38 pm
Anonymous said...: It normally takes around three years to start getting a return on your money. I would have thought with the outstanding position of the Mowlem, £4000 weekly to break even would be quite achievable. £600 a week rent with rates at another £360 sounds reasonable for this outstanding site.
You also need good food, catering for what the Swanage public want accompanied with good service.Otherwise the Mowlem will fail again.
The theatre puts on lots of shows and you would think a bar and restaurant attached couldn't fail.
The top bar would be a great venue for blues/jazz/folk festival gigs as well as a perfect setting for art shows etc.
So why hasn't someone taken it on ?
This brings us back to conditions set by the trust who it seems, from reading the blog, are impossible to deal with.; 15/5/12 5:14 pm
Anonymous said...: The top bar might be OK for music but has a distinct lack of wall space for hanging art. Think about the layout. The wall facing the theatre entrance is glass, another is occupied by the bar, the next is open to the reataurant area. That leaves one wall which had fixed seating in bays against it last time I was there. The restaurant is glass on three sides. The community room above has been used in the past with most pictures hanging on temporary display boards but this makes it look like a church hall show.

Phil is a little disingenuous when he says "the trust who it seems, from reading the blog, are impossible to deal with" as I have no doubt a good many have given him first hand accounts of their experiences with this august body.

I was always bewildered by the menu offered downstairs when Hall and Woodhouse had it. Things like mince and mash. Gee Whites shows where the demand is and outside tables should do well with fresh seafood. Under the SeaSalt regime there were mutterings that the quantity of fish displayed upstairs was too great to ensure freshness and I can understand that managing this type of food could be difficult to say the least. Get it wrong and the seagulls get to eat a lot of Dover Sole.

Ocean Bay seem to survive with a fairly expensive menu and we have had a lot of comments on here in the past about the need for an up=market restaurant. The celebrity chef approash has been suggested but that may be passe now. A seafood restaurant that is not a chippy with attitude would be nice. An ethnic seafood restaurant would be better still. I am surprised that none of the ethnic restaurants here have tried this approach. Tawneys did a very passable crab curry for many years but that is not quite the same thing. I am looking forward to trying their goat curry though.; 15/5/12 6:57 pm
Anonymous said...: "I still think it is an ideal space for STC to rent as a TIC"

I do not see why. A TIC is visited by people who are not familiar with the town. It has to be highly visible and in a prominent position so they can see it as soon as they come into town. A shop at the Mowlem would do the job but the bar is visible only from the sea and upstairs has no street frontage at all which seems to defeat the object of the TIC. Putting up a couple of boards is no substitute for being visible from the other end of the street.; 15/5/12 7:07 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: Another idea would be a self service restaurant. The customer could help himself to cold meats and salads, wine, beer and soft drinks. Then a small selection of hot meals could be served canteen style.; 15/5/12 8:08 pm
Anonymous said...: Why would we want a larget TIC? I don't think it's needed.

Burn the thing to the ground. If not a weatherspoons or McDonalds would be good. Or a Starbucks/Costa Coffee

Or a top class restaurant with accompanying coffee and cake shop/cafe; 16/5/12 4:58 pm
Anonymous said...: Can't you think beyond this sort of mass catering operation that simply drains money out of the town's economy. Apart from some poorly paid Macjobs they put nothing into the town. We need tourist spend to circulate round the Dorset economy a good few times before it drains away.; 16/5/12 9:02 pm
Anonymous said...: Maybe if we get a McDonald's or Weatherspoons these local businesses will up their game. Just because something is local doesn't make it great.

Think about it, these mass catering operations do mass catering well. Of they come into the town centre for it they will probably potter around the shops nearby.

Or see a nice pub or cafe nearby and think they will try it tomorrow.

And a poorly paid job is better than no job. Stop being a snob, or is working and eating in McDonald's beneath you?; 16/5/12 10:05 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: The Mowlem Restaurant was just what people wanted about twenty years ago. Real ale and good, reasonably priced food. If you got there after 12:00 you did not get a seat. Half was for ordinary food and there were higher class meals in the other half and you had to book in advance there for a meal.

If it is not broken do not fix it. Why not go back to what it was like before? Sea Salt does not convey a healthy image if you want to reduce your blood pressure.; 16/5/12 10:34 pm
Anonymous said...: Up their game to compete with a pub chain whose sales pitch is that they have cheap beer or to compete with cheap burgers? You are having a laugh 10.05. This is nothing to do with snobbery. Its about preferring to keep money circulating in the local economy. It is about having as much value added locally as we can. I don't see how opening boxes of burgers made of South American beef contributes to this. As regards local businesses raising their game because there is a Macdonalds, well perhaps you could point to some examples of where this remarkable transformation has occurred and as regards the cliche of badly paid job being better than no job, well I just do not understand how you can claim that a restaurant with only basic low skill jobs and self service offers more jobs than one with skilled chefs and table service.; 16/5/12 11:40 pm
Anonymous said...: On the other hand 'spoons were found to be selling steaks from something called a zebu a few years ago in several branches so they might bring a little novelty to the dining scene.; 16/5/12 11:51 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: Sea Salt will be competing with other businesses in Swanage that provide good food. For instance the British Legion does excellent roast meals on Sundays for £5.90. These are the best roast meals I have ever had. This is much better than Wetherspoons but they include a pint of beer for the same price. I have head that the Conservative Club offers excellent value for money as well but I doubt if they would let me in.

It is important that the restaurant owner treats his or her staff well as well as the customers. One of my friend's daughters worked at Nick's retaurant during the school holidays and was very impressed with the way he treated his staff.

Closing a restaurant in a prime site for a year does not do the potential customers or people looking for work any good at all. It has helped the competition to get well established and it will have lost the Mowlem a lot of goodwill.; 17/5/12 8:40 am
Anonymous said...: "Closing a restaurant in a prime site for a year does not do the potential customers or people looking for work any good at all. It has helped the competition to get well established and it will have lost the Mowlem a lot of goodwill."

It has to be said that 'closing' the restaurant and cafe was not done by the Mowlem, but the lease holders. And as long as they were paying the rent, which they were, there was nothing the Mowlem could do. Not ideal for the Mowlem or the community but at least the Mowlem was not out in financial difficulties.; 17/5/12 9:29 am
Robin from Swanage said...: Good point. I meant Sea Salt. For the previous 40 years I had been going there it was called the Mowlem Restaurant.; 17/5/12 10:09 am
Anonymous said...: Up their game to compete with a pub chain whose sales pitch is that they have cheap beer or to compete with cheap burgers? You are having a laugh 10.05. This is nothing to do with snobbery. Its about preferring to keep money circulating in the local economy.

McDonalds would probably employ more people than another restaurant, and they run schemes within work to train people for higher positions. Surely more jobs for locals means more money in the local economy?

It is about having as much value added locally as we can. I don't see how opening boxes of burgers made of South American beef contributes to this. As regards local businesses raising their game because there is a Macdonalds, well perhaps you could point to some examples of where this remarkable transformation has occurred

I don't have any examples. I'm just saying just because something is local doesn't mean it is good. I've sampled lots of local goods and services, some are excellent, some are crap. But you stick the word local in front of something and people seem to think they are entitled to charge more.

and as regards the cliche of badly paid job being better than no job, well I just do not understand how you can claim that a restaurant with only basic low skill jobs and self service offers more jobs than one with skilled chefs and table service.

I didn't say it offered more jobs, you can't just invent stuff that I said. It'd certainly offer more jobs than Sea Salt currently.

Anyway, a McDonalds wouldn't be a preferred option as I said in my earlier post, but they are successful, supply good, if unspectacular food, and take your blinkers off, it would help the towns economy. People in town for a McDonalds would probably go and see a film/visit the arcade/go to a few shops/see somewhere else and eat their next time.

I'd much prefer a top notch restaurant though but it seems that, going on the last few years, it isn't going to happen.; 17/5/12 10:13 am
Anonymous said...: Perhaps the trust, if it takes back the restaurant now, will take the opportunity to amend the lease it offers so as to bind the lease holder to trade the restaurant and bar so a repeat of this situation can be avoided. Having it closed, even though the rent was paid has been very detrimental to the Mowlem.; 17/5/12 10:19 am
Anonymous said...: Pizza express please!!!. There is nowhere in Swanage where you can eat good food quickly and cheaply. the fish and chip shops have the monopoly on the tourists in the summer because although we have some good restaurants they are too pricey for families. We regularly traipse over to Westborne and so do many of our friends with kids. The upstairs room at the Mowlem should be a bar run by the Mowlem and it should hold workshops and shows for kids like the lighthouse.Downstairs should be all opened up to a large reception /booking hall/ with cafe and local art displays to get people in.

Shame that none of this will happen because we have a handful of trustees who like to be in control whether it is good for the Mowlem and the town or not. I will continue to travel to sit in a warm and comfortable cinema/theatre and eat good food with my family :(; 17/5/12 8:17 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: The Bird's Nest Buffet has got a five star food hygiene rating and serves good food cheaply, the British Legion has a four star food hygiene rating and does cheap but good quality Sunday roasts and curries. I have not been to the Conservative Club but it has a five star food hygiene rating and people who have eaten there say it compares favourably with the British Legion. Sea Salt has plenty of competition if it ever reopens.; 17/5/12 10:35 pm
Anonymous said...: I doubt people on holiday would really want to eat in members clubs like The Con Club or The Legion.; 17/5/12 11:28 pm
Anonymous said...: The Bird's Nest Buffet has got a five star food hygiene rating and serves good food cheaply, the British Legion has a four star food hygiene rating and does cheap but good quality Sunday roasts and curries. I have not been to the Conservative Club but it has a five star food hygiene rating and people who have eaten there say it compares favourably with the British Legion. Sea Salt has plenty of competition if it ever reopens
None of the above would ever compete with somewhere like seasalt.

Both con club and legion are memebers only, and would not allow just anyone to walk in. Also they work to different profit margins to everyone else.

Got to congratulate you robin you never miss an oppurtunity to mention SWANAGE RAILWAY.; 18/5/12 8:39 am
Robin from Swanage said...: When my mother came to stayed with me I signed her in for meals at the British Legion but I think people can have a meal without being signed in. If not you can just ask someone to sign you in.You have to book in advance so they do not waste any food. The annual subscription is about £20 but this comes to about 38p per meal if you go every week.

When you have a Sunday Roast and a pint of beer at the Legion you are paying a lot less than Sea Salt were charging for a meal.

I went to a Legion AGM a few years ago and they were making a loss on catering but they must have improved since then or they would have given up.

The Swanage Railway is probably the largest business in Swanage so it does deserve a mention from time to time. Their standard of catering is a yardstick to compare with other businesses especially when catering is not their main activity. People who devote their whole lives to catering should be able to do better than volunteers on the railway who are just doing it as a hobby and to serve the community. If you have a look at the Trip Advisor, Beer in the Evening and food hygiene ratings web sites you will see how the Swanage Railway catering compares with Sea Salt and other eating places in Swanage and the surrounding area.; 18/5/12 1:21 pm
Anonymous said...: It's so annoying coming into any discussion and it ends up with Robin hammering the same points into our head constantly.

Any question and the answer is the legion or the railway.; 18/5/12 3:30 pm
Anonymous said...: How about a cafe/bar downstairs and a family/reasonabley priced restaurant upstairs. Mabye fish grill on Fridays, meat grill on Saturdays and carvery on Sundays?
Not sure about the rest of the week!; 19/5/12 8:58 am
Anonymous said...: Little bird told me that someone agreed to all the work required to reopen the mowlem/seasalt, they then met the trustees and guess what. no reopening!

Robin someone made a good point about the railway in new subjects!; 19/5/12 9:27 am
Anonymous said...: Well, the Mowlen site would make a spectacular restaurant/bar (despite the less than appealing building) but we continue to go in circles over what would best suit it.

So, perhaps an already successful Swanage restaurant should consider moving into it - one which could expand its business model, offering perhaps family-friendly food by day and more upmarket food by night.

Another idea would be to attract a 'name' to open aq signature affordable bistro there. Something new and novel, affordable and family friendly, that breeches the gap between cheap and cheerful and 100 quid for two.....

One such option I came upon in Bicester Village.....a Jamie Oliver 'Fabulous Feast' concept.
It is fast 'slow food', limited but changing choice, chef cooked in view of the patrons, and reasonably priced....with a 'Jamie Oliver Food Revolution' kids menu added for families' benefit.

Read up if you are interested - I have no idea whether JO would be interested but the name and the concept might fill a market niche in Swanage than has not been tested.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/fabulousfeasts/blogs/Fabulous%20Feasts%20launches%20at%20Bicester%20Village/28

http://www.bicestervillage.com/res/content/en/brand-directory/brands/spring-menu.pdf

(The food I had there was fantastic and very reasonably priced.); 19/5/12 1:04 pm
Anonymous said...: BUT JAMIE OLIVER ISN'T LOCAL, HOW WILL IT HELP LOCAL PEOPLE AND KEEP MONEY IN LOCAL POCKETS?

AGHHH WHY WON'T YOU ALL LISTEN, IT MUST BE LOCAL ABOVE ALL ELSE, LOCAL ABOVE QUALITY, LOCAL ABOVE REASONABLY PRICED.; 19/5/12 2:54 pm
Anonymous said...: Local needs to be thought through, I have bouth things locally before only to find out that it was cheaper to by it online and pay for the delivery. This is where 'local' business owners get it wrong, there is no reason for anyone in Swanage to pay more for an item just because it is being retailed by a local person.

The definition of local that I like is one that where possible the meat, veg, fish and other ingredients are sourced locally. But again what is local? Swanage & Herston, Purbeck or Dorset? I have found that the Blackacre farm eggs are produced in the right way and are great value but are produced all over Dorset, is this local enough?; 19/5/12 3:30 pm
Anonymous said...: Exactly.

Too much stock is put into something being local, whether it is a goods or service.

Some local stuff is lovely, some is crap, yet because it's branded as local you're expected to pay a bit more than non local.

Some local people run a great buisness, customer orientated, hard working and honesy, some local people are driven purely by money and are arseholes.

Greggs, Subway and Smiths aren't local and have been successes of varying degrees, some local places have closed down because they weren't good enough. On the flip side Woolies closed nationally because it was being run badly but some locally run places are thriving.

I couldn't give a monkeys who takes on Sea Salt and where they're from as long as it works.; 19/5/12 3:55 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: A Swanageview co-operative could take it over and put our ideas into practice. When the brewery left the Hambro Arms in Milton Abbas the villagers took over. It seems to work well. The staff and locals are friendly because they have a vested interest in keeping a pub in the village.; 19/5/12 4:12 pm
Anonymous said...: So one group of locals running the mowlem and another running sea salt?

Yea, good one/

Just knock the place down and start again. It's a hideous building.; 19/5/12 5:07 pm
Anonymous said...: "Some local stuff is lovely, some is crap, yet because it's branded as local you're expected to pay a bit more than non local."

I think you have missed the point, or possibly two points. The first is that many of our tourists are willing to pay a premium for locally produced goods, often quite a high premium. The second is about the benefit of money circulating several times locally before draining away into the general economy.

The paradox is that for each of us as individuals obtaining our needs at the lowest price is beneficial but overall the effect is detrimental if buying from the cheapest source means our money heads away from here and the overall outcome is a less boyant local economy. The achievable degree of localisation is another matter and we are talking about a niche market when it comes to food. There are not too many wheat fields round here.; 19/5/12 5:09 pm
Anonymous said...: I have to say congratulations to the Red Lion for a mention in todays daily Telegraph as a place to eat on one of their 50 coastal walks. At least one local pub is recognised for good food. Well done!; 19/5/12 7:11 pm
Robin from Swanage said...: Anonymous 19/5/12. 5:09 has made some good points. I would add that if people who work as volunteers or for a pitance in Swanage got paid a decent wage the prices would go up but the amount of money in circulation would also go up so everyone would benefit and people would be able to go out for a meal more than once a week.Our friends in our twin town of Rudesheim cannot understand the concept of working for nothing.

Excellent news from anonymous 19/5/12 7.11 about the Red Lion. The Red Lion has been in the Good Beer Guide since 1984 and the Square and Compass has always been in the Good Beer Guide. Once you get established in the Good Beer Guide you get a cult following. Nico from the Gazette used the Red Lion for her Homes for Locals Campaign and our friends from Rudesheim used the Red Lion as their local when they visited us. If Sea Salt got in the Good Beer Guide it would be well on the way to succeeding.; 19/5/12 9:57 pm
Anonymous said...: Perhaps if the Legion gave up chilling their Ringwood bitter they could get on as well. They can do what they like with the lager, but chilled bitter! An abomination. No doubt some contrarian will say how much they like cold tasteless bitter. Let them add ice.; 20/5/12 10:38 am
Robin from Swanage said...: I gave up drinking beer a long time ago at the Legion and I have wine with my Sunday roast. I had heard that the beer had improved but I did not want to risk trying it myself.

The Red Lion does not serve the beer and cider from the taps. The beer and cider are dispensed by gravity from a cellar adjoining the bar so the beer is kept at the correct temperature. The Square and Compass does the same. It is not rocket science but it makes a big difference. If Sea Salt did the same they would be half way to success.; 20/5/12 12:08 pm
Anonymous said...: Funnt how its the pubs that eschew music, televisions and all the other gimmickery that is supposed to attract a young and solvent clientele do well.; 20/5/12 1:26 pm
Anonymous said...: I started this discussion to find out what the people of Swanage wanted for the Sea Salt and because I have been bidding for the lease. Whilst all was going well it seems that I have been outbid right at the last minite. I know little of who the potential new owners, but can only deduce that they seem to be from else where and realy wonder if they are going to be able to make the difference that is required?; 23/5/12 8:36 am
Anonymous said...: With all due respect what does being from elsewhere matter? And they probably think the same about you.; 24/5/12 11:35 am
Anonymous said...: In theory it shouldn't matter, however history has shown that those from elsewhere don't easily grasp the vagaries of doing business in Swanage, it's dynamics and people, the current owners being a classic example. I hope this isn't the case or we could see the premises open for the summer and close down very shortly after. Just don't want this to happen again!!; 25/5/12 9:04 am
Anonymous said...: Yea, because the locals having a go at running the place have done exceptionally well.

What a stupid comment. Plenty of people from out of town have been succesful here.

Why do people think Swanage is so special and unique? Yes it's a bloody lovely place to live. Beautiful surroundings and by and large nice people but it's hardly this special and unique place that many would want you to beleive.; 25/5/12 9:16 am
Anonymous said...: What a stupid comment. Plenty of people from out of town have been succesful here.

Why do people think Swanage is so special and unique? Yes it's a bloody lovely place to live. Beautiful surroundings and by and large nice people but it's hardly this special and unique place that many would want you to beleive

Because its seasonal and outside bussinesness think they know everything, there is plenty of evidence to prove this. No one is saying swanage is the greatest place on earth but the dynamics are different from Poole and bournemouth. Do you own a bussines?; 25/5/12 2:05 pm
Anonymous said...: my family do and im heavily involved in it.; 25/5/12 8:40 pm

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