What about existing staff members, though? It is key to give them some refresher training, no matter how basic or simple it may be.
Customers look for good service and standards, so it is especially important to remind all team players that satisfied customers not only return but also tell others and so pay their wages.
It is not all about service, though. We always need to remind staff, especially barstaff, of the law surrounding underage sales and proxy sales.
When the schools are on their summer break so are the under-18s. They will try and buy alcohol and they will get their friends to buy alcohol for them too. Beer gardens are an ideal drinking ground for the under-18s and this is an area we remind staff to keep a close eye on.
Summer also sees a rise in test-purchase operations. Fail a test purchase with our company and you will more than likely face dismissal.
Training in the continued use of Challenge 21 is key. Our £10 reward scheme for every fake or tampered with ID seized goes down well with staff, and encourages them to look closely at all IDs and stimulates competition within the team to see who can get a fake or tampered-with ID on their shift.
Regular readers of the Publican’s Morning Advertiser may have read about our petition for action to be taken against those under-18s who buy or attempt to buy alcohol, as they seem to get away with breaking the law. If 100,000 people sign the petition then the matter will be debated in Parliament. That’s only another 99,790 signatures needed!
If you have not signed yet, please visit http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/34321 to add your name and, once you have, please ask all in your team and your friends to add theirs too.
On another note, this may be my last Guv’nor column as we are now down to one bar and soon may be down to none. No doubt, I will pop up somewhere else in the Publican’s Morning Advertiser occasionally.
It has been a pleasure to write the Guv’nor column from time to time and hope that you have enjoyed reading them. Until next time, thanks for reading.