London

The Magpie

Bishopsgate, London EC2

Australian Ross McGilvery has been given the freedom of the City of London for his outstanding contribution to the community by running award-winning pubs. So it carries a lot of clout when he says: "I've worked in the City for more than 30 years and this is the best team I've worked with, from glass collector to assistant manager."

Ross, centre, has been full-time manager at the Magpie - part of the Nicholsons' chain owned by Mitchells & Butlers - for three years and has pulled together a remarkably cosmopolitan team. There are four full-time employees - two from France, one from South Africa and one from Kurdistan - plus a part-time glass collector.

Ross says: "They are very professional in everything they do. They are also polite, astute and cheeky - but they know when to stop. They're well-mannered, very good at their jobs and work like Trojans."

Multi-skilled training

An important aspect of the smooth running of the Magpie, which opens only from

Monday to Friday, is the multi-skill training programme undertaken by all full-timers.

All have been through M&B's "Stepping Stones" and "Management Fundamentals" courses and three of the four have obtained their personal licence certificates.

All have been trained to help out in the kitchen as well as undertaking cellar work and general duties.

Perfect scores

Ross says: "The whole team is so good that people return not just for the best food and drink in the area, but also for the cheery manner of the girls."

If further proof is needed of the quality of the team's performance, it comes from M&B's mystery-customer visits, which

assess pubs on 30 different criteria. Last year, the Magpie achieved a perfect score of 100% in seven out of 11 visits.

Apart from enjoying what they do, team members have had a dramatic effect on the pub's trading figures. Ross says: "Last year, they increased my trade by 15%. And when I go away on holiday, I can relax."