Angela on the rack

Going back to the shop floor was all in a day's work for Greene King boss Mark Angela. TONY HALSTEAD joined him behind the bar of one of the busiest pubs in the estate to find out how he coped

If Mark Angela was a worried man he was not showing it. Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds had been packed with 20,000 spectators the previous night and the Skyrack pub next door had been full to bursting point. With more heat-wave weather predicted, all things pointed to another frenzied trading day and certainly not the best time to put a new recruit through his paces.

But Angela was no ordinary recruit. Like scores of other Greene King personnel, he was spending the day on the shop floor to gain a graphic experience of how things operate at the sharp end of a pub business.

No fewer than 130 senior and middle management deserted their desks at the Bury St Edmunds headquarters to taste life in the raw at 80 pubs across the length and breadth of the country.

For the managing director of Greene King's managed pubs division, the allocation of the Skyrack was always going to present a challenge. The pub was the biggest profit earner in the whole of Laurel's neighbourhood pub division before Greene King acquired the business 12 months ago. Even now it sits comfortably in the top 10 performers in the enlarged Greene King-managed pub estate, thanks in the main to its thriving mix of student and professional customers.

Early warning of things to come

'I knew I was in for a busy time at a pub like the Skyrack, but when there is a big match on at Headingley, it's mayhem in there, says Angela.

'I got to Leeds just as the match was finishing and the crowds were piling into the pub from the ground. It was eight or nine deep at the bar, he continues, 'but the first thing that struck me was how well the staff managed. I was not officially due to start work until the next day, but it was an early warning of things to come.

Greene King's Longest Day initiative is now in its fourth year and for Angela, who joined the company in January 2004, it was his second annual stint back on the shop floor.

Other company executives were also hard at it marketing director Adam Collett and finance director Marc Lombardo sampled pub life at Clarendon House in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, while human resources director Julian Bradwell experienced the nuts and bolts operation at the Exchange Bar & Grill near Batley, West Yorkshire.

Angela's working day meant getting involved with every facet of the pub business, from pulling pints to stints in the pub's kitchens and trips down the cellar to change barrels. The annual project was designed to get senior management working alongside staff at all levels of the business, from manager to cleaner.

He adds that it is not enough just to talk with staff. It is important to do the hands on work to reveal what issues they face on a daily basis. 'You can only do this by getting back to basics and pitching in at the sharp end to find out what makes a pub tick or pinpoint a particular problem it may face, explains Angela, adding that he likes to see how his pubs operate in person.

He openly admits to calling in unannounced at pubs, perhaps at the rate of two or three a week. 'Sometimes they realise who I am, but often I can visit a pub where they think I am just another customer, so it's good to walk into a place impromptu to see how things are running. It's not checking up or being sneaky, he stresses, 'because you can only judge a business if you see it in its normal working operation.

Angela's day at the Skyrack followed the Twenty20 day/night cricket match between Yorkshire and Lancashire, when the pub took a very healthy £6,000 largely on the back of the cricket a major bonus for the business, which had been quieter than usual since the university students departed for their summer holidays at the beginning of June.

The early part of Angela's official working day was on the quiet side even though the sun was blazing down and the patio beer garden was well populated. This gave Angela the chance to familiarise himself with the Skyrack's till system, a major point of interest for Greene King.

The Laurel system differs appreciably from Greene King's and decisions will have to be taken as to which version will be adopted across the whole estate. 'It was interesting to see it at first hand and compare it with Greene King's tills and try and get a feeling for which delivers the most efficient results. We may adopt the best points of both and merge them, but at the moment we are on a learning curve, admits Angela.

Speed of service is critical

For the rest of the day, he spent time with staff at all levels, discussing their concerns and listening to their opinions. 'I got a good handle on why the Skyrack is such a good pub and how it operates literally as a well-oiled machine, says Angela. 'But every good machine needs its nuts and bolts oiled and tweaked and this was the perfect opportunity to see where improvements and adjustments could be made.

'I was particularly keen to ensure our systems here coped with the levels of customer service we want to provide. There are about 20 rival pubs within half a mile of here, so as far as service is concerned we have to be king.

He spent part of the previous night going round rival pubs in the area to see how they coped on one of Headingley's busiest nights of the summer so far.

Angela returned to the Skyrack after watching other pubs struggle to keep up with demand and saw his own staff were equal to the job. 'Speed of service is always critical to a pub business, but it is crucial when there is a big event like a major match at Headingley taking place. It was clear some other pubs nearby were not coping with the rush, he says, 'and that is where training and pitching the right staffing levels at the busiest times are important.

Angela believes the Longest Day is an essential part of the Greene King calendar and brings staff across the estate into direct contact with company bosses. Over the coming months, Angela and other Greene King executives will sit down to evaluate things they learned and identify frequent themes that emerged across the estate.

Last year's event threw up a number of common threads and strands that the company has been addressing over the past 12 months, including customer care, marketing strategy, staffing levels and availability of training.

'We have to listen to people at the sharp end, adds Angela, 'if we want to ensure the Skyrack maintains its performance and keeps one step ahead of the opposition.

Winning combination

Award-winning manager Carmel Daly-Fletcher runs the Skyrack and over her seven-year tenure she has made the pub one of the most popular in Leeds. Daly-Fletcher, who's won awards for turning the Skyrack from a run-down drug-dealers' haven into a £1m-year profit-maker, was delighted to see her boss Mark Angela spend a day at the pub. 'It was good to see a top man from our new owner, Greene King, prepared to muck in with the staff to discover life at grass-roots level, she says.

'The staff were not intimidated by the arrival of the boss, adds Daly-Fletcher, 'but rather used the occasion to discuss operational issues in a frank and businesslike manner.

Both gained an appreciation of how the other worked, enabling problems to be discussed and issues raised on an informal basis, instead of through an office or company structure medium. There was an essential social element to the initiative, which all agreed is almost impossible to foster through formal company inter-relations.

'In effect, she adds, 'we had the boss of the staff for the day and you can't get closer than that if you want to get your views across.