Quest begins to find the high street stars

Bars in Croydon be on the alert - The Publican team has you in its sights!

Together with Hi Spirits, the company responsible for drink brands including Sebor Absinth and Antica Sambuca, it is launching a major new initiative aimed at tracking down the high street heroes that keep managed pubs at the top of their game.

Over the next nine months the quest for the High Street Bar Team of the Year will see journalists from The Publican and Hi-Spirits visit high-street venues in nine major cities across England and Wales.

Starting next week in Croydon in South London, the team will then go on to visit Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Brighton.

Each trip will see a different drink ordered, with the agenda set to include soft drinks, cocktails and white wine. Staff at each venue will be assessed on their performance according to a range of set criteria.

One overall winner will then be picked from the nine monthly winners, with a presentation made at this year's Publican Conference in London in November.

Jeremy Hill, managing director of Hi Spirits, said: "It's the right time to recognise the people who run good bars at the blunt end of the business. There is an incredible amount of focus, hard work and training going on at the multiple-operator level, and this should be applauded and rewarded.

"The huge responsibilities of the running a good front of house, coupled with bringing in a profitable P&L often falls on the shoulders of the youngest band of managers in the pub business."