Snifter

From beerage to peerage

Snifter was delighted to bump into the redoubtable Lord Tebbit at a Saint George's Day celebration in London last week, and even more delighted to learn he is a fan of the Morning Advertiser. Apparently, back in 1955, when he was a pilot with BOAC, he and a friend were looking for accommodation, and decided it would be fun to live in a pub. "We decided to put an ad in the Morning Advertiser and found rooms in the Red Lion at Betchworth in Surrey. It was a lovely spot and we often helped out behind the bar. God bless the Morning Advertiser!"

A small slice of wisdom

The BII's superb monthly magazine, BII Monthly, carries one anecdote from licensee of the year Chris Lewis that says it is all about the value of service. Chris refers to it as "the £10,000 piece of toast". A businessman who spent £10,000 a year at an unnamed hotel asked for coffee and toast at 10.30am. He was told

that breakfast was over. The businessman duly took his business elsewhere. "That was an expensive piece of toast they didn't give him!" observes Chris.

No firing, but lots of ideas

Nick Hewer, Sir Alan Sugar's eyes and ears on The Apprentice, has made an appearance at Fuller's managed-houses conference. He took his duties seriously, insisting on visiting six Fuller's venues incognito as a customer to give himself an insight into the trade. On the day, he provided encouraging business advice rather than the usual dressing down customary of the BBC1 programme. Hewer was joined on stage by the managers of the six pubs surveyed, who took 250 of their peers and superiors through their plans for the future. During his analysis of the new business initiatives tabled he suggested how one pub could improve its coffee offer and how another, Heroes, in Waterlooville, Hampshire, could link up with the NHS to create a smoking clinic for the pub's smoking customers.

Bury Hatchet and be happy

During the event, Denis Gauthey, manager of Fuller's Old Hatchet, in Windsor, had one impressive insight into successful pub management. He told fellow delegates: "I believe happiness has been the top reason for our success at the Old Hatchet and long may it continue. If you want to be happy, you will be happy, your customers

will be happy, your staff

will be happy and last, but not least, your tills will

be happy."