Service lifts winner in west Glamorgan

Rural, yet well connected, you can be certain of a warm welcome at Tafarn-y-deri — a great example of a pub with very high standards of service, says Noli Dinkovski

Wyn Jenkins has a pet hate. If there is one thing the co-licensee loathes, it's staff who fail to acknowledge entering customers with a smile and a polite hello.

"It's a real bug-bear of mine," he explains. "There's nothing worse than a customer walking into a pub and being ignored because bar staff are talking among themselves."

Given his pub's perfect score in this month's Quality Tracker — a survey with a high emphasis on quality service — it's difficult to see such a thing happening at Tafarn-y-deri.

Along with his wife and co-licensee Karen, Jenkins takes great pride in running the traditional rural pub situated in the village of Llanedi, South Wales. "I'm strict on some things, but fairly relaxed on others," he says. "Six or seven of our 18 staff have been here for at least a decade so they must enjoy working here."

Originally a pub, Tafarn-y-deri was actually two residential houses be-fore the couple decided there was mileage in converting it back to a freehouse 13 years ago.

Wyn, an accountant by profession, eyed it as a realistic business venture and it's not a decision he regrets. "It seemed like a good investment and I'm so pleased we did it," he says. "We were both new to the trade, but we have taken huge pleasure in building up the business."

The result of their efforts is a thriving, food-led pub with a menu of more than 40 main dishes. Tafarn-y-deri also has four recently-refurbished letting rooms and a function room that can hold up to 50 people.

Wyn says that business has re-mained "steady" in the current difficult climate, and while it peaks in the summer months, they still get plenty of trade throughout the year. "We do have a band of locals, but we're mainly a place where people come to eat — we see quite a few families and couples over 35."

Despite its idyllic country setting, the pub is, in fact, only 13 miles away from Swansea, and about half that distance from the town of Llanelli. More importantly, it's only a mile and a half away from the M4.

"We have the best of both worlds — we're surrounded by countryside yet we're easy to reach. I think that helps trade no end," says Wyn.

What surely must also encourage returning customers is the high standard of service the staff provide. Wyn says there is no formal training programme, but new staff are mentored and given a rigorous induction, usually by himself.

"I believe in tailoring training to individual needs — no matter how experienced the staff are, if someone needs more training in a particular area, I will focus on it with them."

All staff must learn how to use the pub's food ordering system. This entails inputting orders via a computer, which are fed back to the kitchen. "Table staff take a manual order, put it into the computer, then collect the food from the fridges and freezers themselves," Wyn explains.

"This small thing allows the chef to spend more time concentrating on preparing food, which again, helps to keep standards up."

Wyn and Karen appreciate that money is getting a bit tighter these days, both for them and their customers. But they also realise that maintaining high levels of customer service will give them a better chance of surviving the expected economic downturn unscathed.

It's an approach that all pubs can learn from.

Fact file

Wyn and Karen Jenkins

Ages: Wyn 49, Karen 47

Background: Wyn and Karen already lived in the village of Llanedi, and when the property came on to the market in 1995, they seized the opportunity to revert the building back to its original function as a pub.

"I was a full-time accountant working in Swansea and fancied

a major change of career," explains Wyn. "Thankfully, it's not a decision I regret."

Top tip: Wyn says: "Make sure you give good value. What I mean by that is, be fair to both yourself and your customers. Strive to provide quality and value — the rest will fall into place."

Training

n Thorough inductions and mentors for all our new starters

n Training tailored to meet the individual needs of the staff members

n Emphasis on being warm and welcoming to entering customers

n All staff must learn the food ordering system