Walkabout operations director Michael Thiele says the Australian-themed bar is not just a watering hole for the homesick traveller. Mark Stretton reports.
Next month will see the arrival of the 30th Walkabout, the star-performing brand in the Regent Inns portfolio.
The Australian-themed bar was once again the shining light in the company's last set of financial results and it is set to expand to 50 outlets by the end of 2003.
Yet many still perceive the brand as little more than spit 'n' sawdust bars for Australians, Kiwis and South Africans who live and work on these shores.
"It's changed in every way," said founder and operations director Michael Thiele.
"Walkabout did start as an ex-patriate watering hole in London. It was very basic - wooden floors and an 11pm licence. But there is no comparison between that and what we have today."
The man who has taken Walkabout from those early days to arguably one of the most recognisable brands in the licensed trade says you don't get the mammoth returns from rolling out spit 'n' sawdust drinking dens. "We have the highest operational standards," he said. "The concept is still based firmly in its Australian roots of great service and fun, but we believe it is now established as one of the best brands in the market."
At between £1m and £1.7m a shot, the units are not cheap, but Regent is starting to reap the rewards.
Sales are averaging £44,000 a week across the estate, an increase of 15.1 per cent on last year.
Successful brands often start out as a single stand-alone bar and Walkabout was no different. The first opened in London's Covent Garden in 1994 as a place for overseas travellers to meet like-minded people.
It was a simple place - basic amenities and beer taps were the order of the day. It was a home from home for the scores of people passing through the capital.
The Aussie bar culture caught on and before long the offer was appealing to more than just homesick globetrotters.
By 1997, Walkabout had grown and parent company Regent saw the potential for expansion across the country.
Now a 29-strong brand, it appeals to a broad cross-section of people from Glasgow to Portsmouth.
The venues are aimed at "Joe Normal", bypassing the fickle fashion-led youth market. The bars are large scale with Australian dècor everywhere. At Shoe Lane, in London, full-length paintings of a kangeroo, and a native Australian adorn two walls. Sport is prominent - television screens are everywhere. The beer fridge contains nothing but authentic brews from Down Under.
Michael says Walkabout has lost none of the things that made it great in the first place. "It incorporates everything good about Australia from Aussie humour and sport to friendly service and culture," he said.
He is keen to hammer home his point about service.
"I go into so many bars, especially in London, and stand at the bar with a tenner in my hand, waiting to be served," he said. "The staff will be standing around talking to each other, trying to be cool, and doing their best to ignore customers.
"It's great for me to see, because it means they don't stand a chance against us.
"If you serve customers quickly, you will take more money - simple as that. We live in a time sensitive world and if a customer knows it will take 10 or 15 minutes to get served, they will probably leave.
"If they know they will get another drink within two minutes, then they'll probably have time for another."
Quick service is key to Walkabout's desire to trade across all four sessions, especially lunchtimes. The company has developed a food menu with a 15-minute delivery time. There is also a £3 menu, with 60 revolving dishes - eight are available at any one time.
Customers can purchase food at any time during trading hours up to an hour before closing. Walkabout has introduced "theatre", or open, kitchens to its new outlets, a move that has added between 10 and 12 per cent to food sales.
"It sends out many positive signals to the customer," he said. "It says we're not afraid to show you what happens here, it's fresh, it's good, this is how we make it, and it becomes a spectacle adding to the entertainment."
Michael has been involved with Walkabout since its inception. It's his baby. "For me the whole thing is emotive," he said.
"It's not just about attention to detail, I'm bloody-minded in getting everything absolutely perfect."
Indications would suggest he is getting fairly close.
Through the MBA (Master of Business Administration) course at Manchester University, a wide mix of company directors recently conducted a customer service management tour of eight Walkabout outlets.
The reports that came back repeatedly included words like "fantastic atmosphere", "very efficient service" and "friendly Aussie welcome".
"That made me very proud," said Michael. "Those people were from all walks of corporate life and tend to be very critical.
"There are two variables in this business - the staff and the customers. I know that if I can control staff, I can send out the right messages to the customers."
He says that the word he hates most is "no". He says that Walkabout is full of "doers", people that make things happen.
"I also want people who care to the point of being different, someone who strives to make things better," he said.
In conversation, the self-titled "Walkabout Nutter" often refers to the theatrical element that is at the heart of the concept. "The whole concept is about theatre," he said. "Everything is live, the bands, the sport on the television, food, the DJs, and the punters are part of that, too."
Regent Inns has made several design tweaks to the Walkabout blueprint. The toilets have been upgraded, complete with miniature television screens, wooden and resin floors have replaced carpet in the bar area, and the brand logos and external signage has seen a facelift.
Sofas and more informal seating have been added.
Early Walkabouts like Brighton and Covent Garden will be updated.
In the past six months the company has concentrated on developing a property pipeline. Doncaster opened in December and the 30th Walkabout will open in Croydon, Surrey. Others will follow in Derby and Newport and the company has exchanged contracts on a further 14 sites.
Glasgow regularly records six-figure weekly sales. "Whenever we open a new place it just takes off," Michael said.
"In the majority of towns that we operate in we regularly have people queuing past the door of our rivals to get into the Walkabout - we dominate the high street."
Some in the trade, mainly rivals, question the longevity of Walkabout and how many people will continue to be interested in an Australian-themed bar.
"It's the biggest load of crap I've heard in my life," he said. "Are you telling me that people are going to stop liking fast service, good food and great entertainment? I don't think so.
"We keep getting better. Walkabout delivers and, it's a horrible expression, but it does exceed customer expectations - it hits the spot."
Looking at the new polished outlets and average sales of £44,000 a week, it is hard to disagree.
Michael Thiele on...
...winning in a busy bar: "If you serve customers quickly, you will take more money - simple as that. We live in a time-sensitive world. If a customer knows it will take 10, maybe 15 minutes, to get served, they will probably leave. But if they know they will get another drink within two minutes, then they'll probably have time for another."
...making a themed bar work: "The Irish thing fell down because it did not remain authentic. How is Dave from Halifax going to sell an Irish concept? What if he know