Star trains mystery shoppers to spot pint perfection

Star Pub & Bars is training 80 mystery shoppers to be able to recognise the perfect pint across the pub company’s estate.

The Pint Perfection tuition is provided by parent company Heineken’s own Draught Masters — the same team that provides free-of-charge training to Star’s lessees — with a view to giving ‘quality of serve’ a greater weighting in mystery visit assessments.

Chris Jowsey, trading director of Star Pubs & Bars, said: "The importance of serving the perfect pint cannot be overestimated. The only reason someone orders a second pint is based on the quality of the first pint.

"It impacts on the pub’s immediate revenue, its reputation and its future trade.

"The retail cost of losing a pint a day in a drip tray is around £1,200 a year per tray, which equates to £9,600 for an average pub with eight drip trays. It is a massive loss in earnings."

Earlier this year, Star announced that the Heineken Smart Dispense system - which chills beer as it leaves the keg - would be installed in all new pub refurbishments.