And that’s not just because I am fiercely opposing the Dry January nonsense, or supporting the alternative #TryJanuary campaign — though I am on both counts.
No, it’s that time of year when my PMA colleagues and I throw ourselves enthusiastically into the Publican Awards judging process. And I’m pleased to say that the pubs I’ve visited and the pub people I’ve met to date have been hugely impressive.
Often during these visits, themes emerge that appear to create new opportunities for the pub trade — and this year has proved no exception.
Stonegate’s new Common Room concept is largely targeted at the student market, and yet its appeal is proving to be much broader than that, partly because it is built around some enduring values, including flexibility, affiliation, sociability and personality.
But the one that caught my eye — and which I’ve subsequently been looking for, and finding, during my time on the road — has been ‘generosity’. This ranges from obvious things like free Wi-Fi, complimentary beer tasters and decent food portion sizes to more imaginative ideas like phone/laptop chargers, printing services, coffee refills and fee-free cash machines.
Of course there is a cost to some of these freebies, but experience suggests that acts of kindness are repaid many times over with higher levels of customer goodwill and loyalty.
Loos
I’ll always remember David Evans of Sports Bar & Grill saying at one of our conferences that he didn’t mind people dropping into
his London railway sites to use his loos — while the station itself charges and other sites reserve that facility for customers only.
In fact he was pleased that these potential customers got to see the inside of his pubs and their great facilities.
It’s that spirit of generosity that pubs must provide with a genuine welcome, and not a hint of a grudge, if they are to compete and thrive.
I appreciate that it must sometimes be hard to feel generous when you are under pressure, and when perhaps you feel your suppliers and government are being less than generous to you. But try you must.
Pubs noise
On that point, it is genuinely disappointing to see the usual across-the-board wholesale price increases being applied by brand owners and passed on by pubcos at a time when many input costs are falling.
Perhaps we can see this theme of generosity extended up the supply chain for once.
I’ll finish this week on some good news. It appears that the Government is paying heed to our Make Some Noise campaign by issuing guidance to local councils about the importance of sound proofing in new housing developments being built near pubs.
This takes us a step closer towards the formal adoption of an Agent of Change principle that would mean responsibility for minimising noise disturbance falls on new residents or developers rather than pubs and clubs that have operated for a long time.