The perils and perks of running a pub

11-Jan-2013 - Last updated on 12-Mar-2017 at 01:43 GMT

Price: "Regular reviews are the best way of keeping employees on track and aware of what you are thinking"

Managing people — getting someone to do what you want done, willingly and well — is important, whether you have one employee or many and it is possibly one of the biggest challenges, especially in the hospitality industry.

Almost all of us are customer-facing and customers need happy, smiling faces on people who are pleased to look after them.

When something is not done the way you want you must decide whether an on-the-move correction is the best response or a full-blown sit-down meeting. Then, of course, there are the statutory requirements should it become a matter for a disciplinary route.

Regular reviews are the best way of keeping employees on track and aware of what you are thinking and, therefore, what you want from them. It helps you understand things from their point of view and usually leads to agreement and much happiness. It even helps you think about where you are going and how you might get there.

We are having our first new year for several years knowing we will be here at the Inn for sometime, having just purchased the freehold. It is fantastic planning our future without having the help and support provided by a business partner.

Our plan involves building bedrooms, 10 we hope, followed by a pub extension, which will allow us to offer various services — breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner etc — throughout the day. What will customers want in 10 years? We need to plan for that now. One customer suggested we might let rooms by the hour for 50 shades of bitter, but I am not sure what the taxman would think!

Talking about HMRC, we still have three investigations from them to reconcile and it could be expensive. We handled the VAT on a car incorrectly, some staff Christmas gifts the wrong way and, possibly, haven’t sufficiently detailed records to prove that we were paying the minimum wage to one employee. Did you know that with HMRC you are guilty until you can prove yourself innocent? I didn’t either, but it is indeed so.

Christmas and New Year have been fun and moderately profitable, ably helped by Phil Davison and the Pub Marketing Circle. Planning January promotions in October is helping to bring January trade at a slightly reduced margin but ensuring cash flow at a time when the till could be working harder.

We have also had the annual award for the S*** Stirrer of the Year, the SS Spoon, which is awarded to a very worthy regular, causing merriment and jealousy in equal measure!

Here’s wishing you all a great 2013.