Landladies are key to pubs' success

My daughter is keeping me up to date yet again with her cinema knowledge. It now appears Sex and the City is just so yesterday and has certainly been overtaken by Mamma Mia! the hit musical, at a cinema near you.

"Why would anyone want to watch a movie about ABBA?" I asked, to which I was told that just wasn't it. It's apparently all about women going it alone. Getting on with their lives without the need for a man to rely on for money or muscle.

Intriguing, I thought — especially as leading lady Meryl Streep runs her own hotel in Greece in the film, and has done for the last 15 years!

This got me thinking of Greene King's own Public Housewives campaign, which is all about celebrating women who go it alone in this industry — and making a real success of it. This issue doesn't get a lot of attention, but in my view it should.

What we discovered from the women we've spoken to is that they all have the same qualities really needed to make a pub a place it should be: welcoming, homely — and most of all, with high standards all round.

Our recent research, conducted by the Social Issues Research Centre on behalf of Greene King, identified what makes the local so endearing — and the role of the landlord was key. I have to assume that this means landlady too. So what makes a landlord or landlady special? What makes a punter sing: "My, my, how can I resist you?" when going down the local they know and love?

The research showed that the sociability and hospitality of the licensee is the key factor in making one in five Britons loyal to their local. Pub-goers see the landlord or landlady as the "heartbeat of the pub", with the best licensees participating in pub life, rather than just providing a service.

The importance placed on the role of host goes far beyond that expected in any other catering or retail business. Licensees are viewed as one of the few pillars of the community — and the most successful are those who immerse themselves in all aspects of local community life. Knowing what goes on, who is who, and what the dynamics are, all go a long way to understanding what will keep them happy.

So it seems the winners taking it all are the hosts and hostesses who combine the ability to create a welcoming, homely environment with a strong interest in what makes the local community tick — the perfect formula for bringing in the money, money, money.