Swallowtail - Burnham

with reference to not much......
Last time in Burnham we wandered up the walkway to end a long day with a bite or at the very least a cold beer in a relaxing marina bar.
The place was closed and obviously not he least bit interested in people with boats as it had morphed into a swinging evening destination Hot Spot apparently devoted to a long dead crooner that only people over 100 would even remember.....
We walked into town.
Cannot remember during our stay,ever seeing it open when I was likely to want to use it :)
 
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Swallowtail has been a bit hit and miss over the years. I've been to burnham on a summer weekend and found it closed. The trouble with these places is that unless they are reliably open, people will go elsewhere. I am going to burnham over the bank holiday weekend so can report back next week.
 
The Yacht Harbour has taken over management from the 1st August. The chef I believe has come from the Five Lakes Hotel.

Went up for a drink last Thursday and seems ok with a basic menu, not running before they can walk.

One of the guys running the Marina was doing a couple of shifts to see what it was like from the other side of the bar.
 
Realise that any business has to make money etc,but is it to much to hope that an eatery located in a marina can provide .......
A basic breakfast for those of us unwilling to clear up the breakfast mess on the boat.
A lunch of some sort, nothing too fancy for those of us unwilling to ..............see above.
A beer or hot coffee and bite during the day
An posher evening menu for those of us too nackered or idle to walk into town
.....asking to much perhaps ?

Who on earth thought that there was money to be made from opening a limited appeal nightspot located on a windswept concrete boat hardstanding with a view of boat hulls in various states of disrepair ?
 
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Little Grebe said:
Presumably that is why the place closed down and reopened again in its latest reincarnation.

Not sure what it is about huge place that has results in such a turnover of proprietors...
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Only a guess, but is suspect the rent for what is a huge establishment, may be a bit high for the potential income that it generates. Lots of people probably think they can make it work, but then reality hits home. I suspect it is very vulnerable to the seasons, and even in high season probably quiet during the week. There is actually very little time to make enough hay to sustain the place through 12 months IMHO.
 
I've been in there a few times since it reopened. They're actually running it as a marina bar, and it seems to be working. The food they serve is decent, but quite expensive so budget accordingly. However, the main function of a marina bar should be for people in the marina to go and get a drink. In its previous incarnations:

The old Swallowtail was never bloody open.

The Lighthouse looked promising at the start but then tried to rely on wedding hire at the weekends and turned bertholders away.

Sinatras closed before I was able to try it.

The Swallowtail's lack of viability in its previous incarnations seemed to stem from not running what was obviously the marina bar as a marina bar. I suspect BYH got just as sick of this as the rest of us did, and they decided enough was enough.

It's now being run as a marina bar, and it's working.
 
I think they're also trying to cater to dog walkers from the nearby country park. There have certainly always been people in there every time I've walked past since it reopened, which is a good sign. (Even weekday lunchtimes)

Seems successful so far, but Burnham is always harsh on restaurants and similar venues that open late in the summer season, as they struggle to do enough business to stay viable over winter. Hopefully that won't happen here as it's being run by BYH.
 
I think if BYH are running it the rent is likely to be less of a problem than it was for the previous proprietors. BYH realise they need a marina bar and have stepped in accordingly. Being a local (although the boat is now in Bradwell!) I look forward to trying it.
 
Went in Wednesday evening after a roughish crossing from the Mudway. Had my daughter and grandaughter in tow as well. Food was well presented and very tasty. Grandaughter ( 9 going on 19) got exactly what she desired and the staff went out of their way to please, together with lots of good advise about the local area. (This was our 2nd visit in the last year). Total bill for the four of us, with a bottle of white was £80 odd, which I thought was very reasonable. Pleased to see it was busy on Thursday evening as well.
 
Myself and the swmbo went in on Saturday mid afternoon for a late lunch - not many people in but we had excellent service and food served to us - the only thing that spoiled it was 2 sets of parents that allowed their children to run amok.
Jon
 
The only time I ever went there was about 15 yrs ago. Even then, the house wine was £20+ per bottle. In Swipswich, The Last Anchor was similar some years ago, with main courses at around £22, but is now quite a decent establishment, so it can be done.
 
jon and michie said:
Myself and the swmbo went in on Saturday mid afternoon for a late lunch - not many people in but we had excellent service and food served to us - the only thing that spoiled it was 2 sets of parents that allowed their children to run amok.
Jon
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adverb: amok

behave uncontrollably and disruptively.

Interested in this.
What were they actually doing to annoy the diners and did anybody complain to the parents or management ?
 
Now then oldgit - basically the place was quiet but kids being kids were just running about the place while the parents were eating or drinking
The staff who were working was young and maybe didn't know how to approach the parents.
Myself and the swmbo were half way through our lunch.
But if the parents had been responsible in the first place their children wouldnt be disrupted to anyone else.
 
jon and michie said:
Now then oldgit - basically the place was quiet but kids being kids were just running about the place while the parents were eating or drinking
The staff who were working was young and maybe didn't know how to approach the parents.
Myself and the swmbo were half way through our lunch.
But if the parents had been responsible in the first place their children wouldnt be disrupted to anyone else.
Click to expand...

OK fair enough.:)
 
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