I’m sure you are familiar with the scenario and are sitting there now, reading this and nodding your head.
You know the ones. The barperson on her phone, the waitress who asks if you enjoyed your meal but actually doesn’t care about your answer, and the receptionist who is more interested in Facebook.
This is the image of your pub that the customer sees. I came into the pub trade knowing how I look at things when I enter a room and knowing that first impressions matter, but also that the ‘goodbye’ is as important as the ‘hello’.
With this knowledge we have developed a team-training package, which we refer to as ‘How to become an Olde Bull superhero’.
This is way above and beyond any standard induction: it is how to become part of ‘us’, as we all know how difficult it is to let someone else look after your ‘baby’.
The topics covered range from how to open and close a shift, how to serve wine and standard skills for the trade, to knowing how to create those all-important magic moments, how to create a welcoming environment, and, importantly, how to have that crucial
‘can do’ attitude.
We hold training sessions every six to eight weeks where we bring in a different person to spend some time with the team in their area of expertise.
Talk to your suppliers — this is something they will help you with as the more your team know about their products the more you will sell and, consequently, buy from them.
For example, our last session was about our wines and how to correctly open and pour wine at the table, and the next session is from a local spirits supplier who sells artisan vodkas and rums.
To reward the team for attending the sessions, we provide them with a meal from our menu so they get to taste the food that they, in turn, can recommend and chat to our customers about.
So I guess the message in my column is to invest in your team; it is the best money you will spend as they are your business.