THE GUV'NOR Alison Carter

The former BII licensee of the year advises paying attention to detail when carrying out a refurbishment project

Refurbishing your pub? We all know a makeover can work wonders, whether it's a full-blown, capital investment redesign with building work, or a simple spruce-up.

It can help you establish a new customer base and re-position the business in the marketplace. Often a refurb and introduction of an improved food offer go hand in hand - to appeal to diners it's important to create the right ambience.

With the post-ban shift in emphasis towards food, many will be considering doing this. The UK pub eating-out sector is forecast to grow to £8.2bn by 2010 - so it's well worth it.

The danger lies in thinking that the refurb alone will bring customers flooding in. Recently I have travelled widely, visiting some of the UK's finest hostelries, many of which have been refurbished. The most successful operators have thought beyond decoration and focused on detail.

Others have failed to make a successful transition - my visit to a beautifully decorated pub was spoiled by loud, intrusive music. It may have been in keeping with the food offer of pie and chips, but ruined any dining ambience.

Cheap bog-standard menu covers from the local cash and carry were still used, despite the beautiful light oak dining tables with padded high-backed chairs.

Mis-matched cheap cutlery rolled in flimsy napkins were plonked on ancient, dog-eared table mats. When the food arrived it was delicious - and locally sourced - but presented on scratched, chipped, pre-refurb plates. And horror of horrors, the condiments offered arrived in hateful little sachets.

Refurbishing a pub is costly, and it may seem excessive to fork out cash on cutlery and crockery. But it's well worth the investment. And invest time in training your staff to serve and sell for you. Simple questions, such as: "What's the soup of the day?" or "What's served with the pork?" shouldn't provoke scuttling back to the kitchen to find out.