OPINION: Hospitality must become the go-to place once again

However, I now find myself falling out of love with them. In fact, often when I walk into one in my hometown, my anger starts to boil, and my hackles rise.

What has caused this sudden change of heart? Well, it’s many things.

To begin with it is the lacklustre greeting when I walk in. The look from bar staff that says “I really can’t be bothered serving you” as they reluctantly pocket their mobile phone.

I understand we are in a staffing crisis in the hospitality industry and I can forgive many mistakes from well-intentioned but poorly trained staff but the lack of a smile or a friendly welcome is unforgivable, especially if this is from the landlord themselves.

The clue is in the name… hospitality. We need to remember that and so do our staff.

Need to do better

As an industry, we are always complaining pubs are not as busy as they used to be and supermarkets are stealing our trade.

Well, no wonder… the amount of badly poured drinks I have suffered in recent months is unbelievable. Badly poured flat pints, drinks without ice, wilting garnish and ales that tell me the lines have not been thoroughly cleaned for quite some time. Come on folks it is not rocket science, we need to do better.

Drinks companies are spending millions to ensure home bought and poured products taste and look as good as the ‘real thing’. TikTok-obsessed home bartenders know how to make their home poured drinks look and taste amazing. So, if we want to compete, we really must raise the bar.

In the past, pubs were a haven for many people, open seven days a week from late morning till late at night. People knew that they could pop down the road for a quick drink whenever the mood took them. Now it is a game of Russian Roulette. Will the pub be open, will it stay open once I am there?

One Friday recently, I walked into a town centre bar at 9pm to be informed by the bar manager that I could have one drink. He was shutting the bar because it had been a “quiet night”.  Truth be told, he wanted a quiet night and to get home early. This week, after eating at our local restaurant, I did not bother walking the short distance to the aforementioned bar because I decided it was not worth the risk of it being closed so I walked home.

Self-fulling prophecy

Presently, many pubs and bars are playing out a self-fulfilling prophecy and their actions not only affect themselves but they also affect the whole night-time economy. That bar missed drink sales last week and this week because of their action.

However, the venues next to them also missed out because I went home instead of my usual one or two nightcaps in several places on the way. If my actions are those of someone who loves going out and being part of this industry then what are the general public making of all this?

As an industry, we now need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves.

We need to stop bemoaning how terrible things have been over the past few years. As a sector, we need to collectively “put our big girl pants on” and get on with it.

But not just get on with it… do the job with enthusiasm and pride, look after our staff and train them well, ensure we deliver a great experience for all our customers, provide quality and value for money, make our business the go-to place but, most of all, make hospitality great again.

It is really not that hard.