Certified family-friendly

Children in the pub. Licensees, it seems, either love 'em or hate 'em.

For every publican welcoming them in through the door (accompanied by their parents, of course), there is another who would rather keep the environment strictly adults-only.

And rightly so, for while the smoking ban is now upon us, along with growing restrictions on what licensees can and can't do, at least a pub's trading style should remain its own.

But for publicans who do want to look at the opportunity, there is growing evidence that appealing to the family pound can connect you with a whole new customer base ­ and a free-spending one at that. Families who visit pubs spend an average £5 more per person than the average pub customer, according to recent research from him!, the market research specialists.

Yet just nine per cent of pub-goers actually visit pubs with their families, according to him!'s On-track research programme.

Coupled with The Publican's own recent research with Britvic, carried out by CGA Strategy (The Publican, October 29), which suggests few pubs are currently targeting the family market, all the statistics indicate that neither publicans nor consumers are making enough of the opportunity for family dining in pubs.

Perfecting the offer​

These are the market forces that have led to the launch of a major new scheme that aims to help pubs perfect their offer for families ­ and to make it easier for families to find pubs that meet their needs.

Led by Carl May, the business development expert behind The Publican¹s Sell More, Save More project, Catered4thekids is setting a new mark for pubs to aim for.

Carl explains: "I'm constantly hearing families asking things like 'where do I go, where do I eat out?' ­ and they end up eating in places where the food is rubbish, and parents have to sit out of the way with their kids.

"After a number of years working in this industry, that's a problem that has never gone away, and something no-one has really sorted out."

Launched in association with thepublican.com, the scheme will ask pubs to ensure their children's meals meet a set of criteria (see panel) ranging from the sourcing of the meat to a healthier soft drinks range.

Pubs will be able to shout from the rooftops that they have truly 'Catered4thekids' via a new website, and in-pub promotional material.

It¹s a project aimed not only at giving pubs a set of standards they can prove they already meet, but also at giving others something to aim for as they look to more closely target the family spend.

Mystery visit​

Any scheme of this nature will stand or fall by its assessment ­ how can consumers be sure that the pubs meet the standards?

The scheme has linked up with mystery shopping agency Marketpublic.com to ensure that every pub meets the criteria. All pubs logging on to www.catered4thekids.co.uk and claiming to meet the standards will be mystery visited, for an application fee of £59.50.

In return, they receive a full report along with either notification that they have passed the standards, or feedback pinpointing areas in which they have failed.

Businesses are also asked to provide details of their meat suppliers, which will be checked out by the Catered4thekids team.

Pubs that pass the assessment will then receive the promotional material, including a certificate and door stickers, as well as the chance to achieve a full listing, including pictures, on the Catered4thekids website at a cost of £99 ­ although the first 100 licensees signing up will receive the first six months' listing free.

"There are four stages to this," says Carl.

* "Pubs tick the box on the website and apply"

* "We acknowledge the application and send out a mystery visitor"

* "If they are successful, we send them an email and say congratulations"

* "Once we've done that, we push the button and they go live on the website."

Carl believes that in time the Catered4thekids mark will become recognised in pubs as a sign of reassurance in children's food.

"This doesn¹t apply to all pubs, and it doesn¹t apply to all people with children," he says.

"But it's to do with the chameleon nature of the pub, and the growing number of occasions and opportunities for people to go to look at pubs after the smoking ban. If people like the way they are treated as a family they will go back."

To find out more about the campaign visit www.catered4thekids.co.uk or call 01568 708339 ​