The Ship In Distress Restaurant

When somebody suggested to Sally Canning that she should run a 300-year-old pub called The Ship in Distress, she thought they were trying to wreck her.
The pub in Christchurch, Dorset, was run down and attracting hardly any trade after previous licensees had lost interest. But the more Sally thought about it, the idea grew on her. "I could see its potential and just couldnt refuse the opportunity". says the former Licensed Victuallers Association president.

Nowdays, the relaunched The Ship In Distress is a huge success with locals and tourists and Sally has been a finalist in the BFAs Franchisee of the Year Awards. She got support and investment from the Inn Partnership to turn the Ship into a thriving pub and fish restaurant and managed to increase its turnover tenfold.

Sallys first priority was to get people back to the bar at the pub, which is a local landmark mentioned in many books about smuggling. She concentrated on building up the drink side of the business. But she also offered an interesting alternative to her own pub food. "I encouraged customers to bring in their own sandwiches and let them order food from the local Chinese takeaway to eat in the pub". says Sally.

After a year of consolidating the business growth she closed the pub for refurbishment and invested in a fully-equipped kitchen and restaurant for 80-90 customers. She appointed three highly trained chefs who specialised in fish dishes.

Now, people should book well in advance if they want to savour the fish, brought in daily from nearby Mudeford.