Five-star operators
Having visited several pubs over the summer as part of the judging process for the BT Sport Great British Pub Awards, and spoken to operators that have all entered the trade via different routes, it’s become increasingly clear that, while their pubs operate in different locations, with a different clientele and often vastly different offer, the traits that make up the people in charge are very similar.
My thoughts crystallised this week after reading comments by Fiona Stapley, the respected editor of The Good Pub Guide, who used the introduction of this year’s guide to deliver a tough message in pretty blunt language.
Whether or not you agree with her about the numbers of pubs shutting their doors in the coming year, and whether those closures might turn out to be a good thing for the
trade, Stapley’s opinion on why some pubs fail and others succeed is clear — it comes down to the quality of the operator.
So taking on board those comments, and my own judging experiences in recent weeks, here is my suggestion of five essential, and common, traits that make up a successful operator.
1. Adaptability
Identifying where your pub’s offer fits in the market is one thing, but the best operators are quick to adapt to changing pressures and circumstances. Even if they excel in one area, being able to spot where the next opportunity is coming from, and pursuing it, is a valuable skill.
2. Ruthlessness
Successful operators will use hard data to assess whether a particular element of their offer is working and — if it isn’t — will modify or ditch it quickly without any sentimentality. This ruthlessness extends to every facet of the pub’s operation: supplier relations, people management, marketing, finance.
3. Professionalism
The point has long been made that there’s no room for enthusiastic amateurs in the trade any more. With more people running pubs from a variety of business backgrounds, a new breed of operators that blend entrepreneurial spirit and a focus on squeezing every penny of profitability from their site are coming to the fore.
4. Creativity
Top operators come up with new, financially viable ideas that transcend the traditional ‘pub’ environment and provide new points of interest to customers. Diversifying into new areas and offering something distinct keeps people coming back for more.
5. Tenacity
The best don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, and keep moving forward despite setbacks. If an idea doesn’t work, they learn their lesson and think of another. They recognise that anything really worth doing takes persistence, perseverance and determination.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, and you may wish to add other qualities to it that set elite operators apart from the crowd. We’d be keen to hear what PMA readers feel make up the successful modern-day licensee. A good sense of humour, no doubt!
