The Henry VIII Restaurant and Pub, a holding of Long Botham Boats Company Ltd., turns 25 this May, and the restaurant and pub has prospered by virtue of a high level of repeat business, according to the company's managing director, Mr. Andrew Allan.

The restaurant, well-known as "Henry's'', opened for business May 8, 1970. In 1968, Mr. Allan, 53, purchased the inactive company, LBB, and subsequently bought the Windjammer Restaurant located on South Shore Road and Henry VIII Restaurant and Pub -- with Tudor style -- was born.

After 25 years, the company has matured and gained a reputation as one of the best restaurants on the Island.

"We believe we provide an excellent dining experience, with great food, and great entertainment,'' he said.

"But it would be very difficult to buy and build a business today similar to the way we did,'' he reflected.

"Today's prices are prohibitive, because of high overheads and high property prices, it would be extremely difficult if not prohibitive to reproduce what we did in 1968 today,'' he commented.

Four years after Henry came Henry's Pantry, a retail outlet selling food and alcohol located adjacent to the restaurant.

And last year the company acquired the nearby Horseshoe Bay Beach concession from Government under a five-year lease with an option to renew for five additional years.

In 1988 the company had acquired title to its buildings and land. Located across from the Sonesta Beach Hotel on property formerly owned by Gosling Brothers Ltd., Henry's could seat 70 people when it opened but additions and renovations now mean the restaurant can accommodate 250.

But there will not be any expansions in the near future, according to Mr.

Allan.

"We still have room to expand but right now we are consolidating, construction and other prices are currently not conducive to expanding,'' noted Mr. Allan.

The restaurant will also be affected by the delayed reopening of the Sonesta Hotel.

The Sonesta is a major source of customers for Henry, as is the Southampton Princess, but Mr. Allan could not estimate how significant the temporary closure of the Sonesta will have.

When Henry's opened, the Sonesta was the Carlton Beach Hotel and the Southampton Princess had just been built.

To keep pace the restaurant uses new marketing strategies to bring Bermuda residents out for dinner, he noted.

With changing economic times, the restaurant has adopted marketing moves like half-price rates on a la carte menu items for this month and last to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

Entertainment, started last week, has been brought in earlier than usual this year as well in an effort to generate more interest in the slower winter months. Usually the pub style entertainers are not booked in until March or early April.

And shoppers can expect to see Henry VIII beef pies in selected supermarkets around the Island soon.

Mr. Allan is a principal in the limited liability company LBB which is listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange Index.

He first saw Bermuda en route to Jamaica in 1968.

At that time he called the Island "the most beautiful place he had ever seen'' and promised himself he would return and operate a business.

In 1968 he left Scotland where he had risen to the top of the family trucking business and came to Bermuda looking to buy a company and start a business here.

LBB was formed in 1968 and Mr. Allan is unaware of the origins of the name but "we chose to name the restaurant Henry VIII because that name is synonymous with food,'' he noted.

Twenty-five percent of the company is now publicly held after an initial public offering of 75,000 common shares at $8.50 each in early 1993.

Last year the company reported profits of $557,649, down marginally from 1993 when profit was $608,672, and sales of $4.6 million compared to $4.3 million in 1993.

It now employs 40 people and when the beach concession is up operating, that number grows to 50.

He predicted this year's results would hopefully be equal to last year's but he said "each year the season seems to get smaller'' as more Caribbean locations expand their seasons for international tourist dollars.

Mr. Allan, after 28 years in Bermuda, and a quarter century of Henry's, concluded that the Island has been very good to him but had undergone changes over that time, he said.

Crime has increased and complacency has crept into service sectors, he said.

"Continued prosperity will in part be based on deterring crime and getting back to the old world courtesy Bermuda was once famous for,'' he concluded.

"We believe, because of the number of repeat customers it means we are offering a complete enjoyable evening, it's a package that has worked successfully,'' he concluded.

KING OF HENRY'S -- Mr. Andrew Allan, managing director of Long Botham Boats Company Ltd, whose principle holding is Henry VIII Restaurant and Pub, said the restaurant has adopted new strategies to bring residents out.