It’s a time of year we all enjoy because it allows us to visit a diverse set of pubs in parts of the country we’d otherwise be unlikely to venture. You might be surprised to discover that, as journalists writing about the trade, the majority of our time is not spent in pubs (unfortunately). So awards judging gets us out from behind our desks and on to the frontline to experience — albeit only briefly — the trials, tribulations and triumphs of our readers.
It’s a hugely enjoyable experience and inspiring to meet licensees at the top of their game, running successful pub businesses. While their pubs may operate in very different locations, with different customer bases and appeal, it’s clear that the people running them share a number of qualities in common.
After speaking to my fellow judges, we’ve come up with a list of five traits — in no particular order — that we believe the very best operators share.
Passion
You will rarely find someone running a pub who doesn’t have a passion for hospitality. Those at the top see it as a vocation and constantly strive to deliver a great customer experience, delight guests and be at the heart of the community.
Restlessness
Despite being successful, the very best still want to reach greater heights. They are never satisfied and constantly analyse what’s working (or not) in their businesses. They want to ‘sweat the asset’ and squeeze every last penny of profitability from their site.
Innovation
Call it innovation, creativity or imagination, top operators come up with ideas that provide points of interest to customers and fly commercially. Offering something distinct keeps customers coming back.
Adaptability
The best licensees are quick to adapt to changing pressures and circumstances. Being able to spot the next opportunity or trend, and how it might be applied to their business is a valuable skill. Equally, if an idea doesn’t work, they learn their lesson and move on.
Determination
Nothing worth having in life was ever gained easily and our finalists demonstrate true grit when it comes to achieving their goals. Battles have been fought and won against local bureaucracy, red tape — and often sheer bad luck — but our finalists have stuck it out.
No doubt you could come up with your own list of attributes, but I think we can all agree that it takes a unique mix of characteristics for individuals to succeed in the pub trade.
From next week we will begin profiling the pubs — and the people who run them — that are regional winners across the 15 awards categories. They all stand a chance of being crowned national winners at a swanky awards night in London on 10 September and becoming champion of champions — the overall Sky Great British Pub of the Year.
Visit The Great British Pub Awards website to book tickets - finalists will be announced in next week's (6 August) issue.