Operations

My Pub: The Bickley, Chislehurst

23-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

When Bickley Pub & Restaurant general manager Garry Wood noticed Wednesday steak night was proving a real success, he opted to go more premium by focusing on steaks at the Redcomb Pubs site yet still maintaining a community feel.

José Mourinho presents BT Sport Manager of the Month trophy

22-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Despite being edged out of October’s prize for Premier League bosses by rivals from Burnley, Arsenal, Tottenham and - most painfully - the blue half of Manchester, The Special One still managed to get his hands on a trophy this month – albeit briefly....

English rugby fans prop up MatchPint and Guinness trivia standings

22-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Jokes involving Englishmen, Scotsmen and Irishmen may need new punchlines unless quiz league table standings change.

Musical highlighting the plight of pubs set for December tour

21-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Arts Council England funded show ‘Last Orders at The Dog & Dumplings’ is set for five tour dates in December.

October sales see pubs and bars fare better than restaurants

21-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Industry insiders have warned the festive trading season could be "the difference between survival or failure" across Britain’s managed pub, bar and restaurant groups with like-for-like sales up just 0.3% against last October, the latest figures...

Autumn Internationals provide 4% sales kick

20-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

New data provided by MatchPint and beer quality expert Vianet shows that year-on-year beer sales during Rugby Union's Autumn Internationals have increased.

How sociology can help pubs understand their customers

17-Nov-2017 By Phil Mellows

Doctor Tom Thurnell-Read is not a medical man, but he can help you with the health of your pub. Meet the sociologist whose research can teach publicans about their customers and their drinking culture.

Low-cost resolution service 'still an option' in pub rent disputes

16-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The Pub Governing Body (PGB) has reminded licensees with agreement under the statutory code that the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme (PIRRS) resolution service remains an option if there are tied rent disagreements – even in cases where the market-rent-only...

Great British Pub of the Year landlord defends response to TripAdvisor criticism

16-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The landlord of this year’s Great British Pub of the Year has defended his firm response to comments left on Trip Advisor by a disappointed customer and now considers the matter closed.

Villagers raise £72,000 in two weeks to save last remaining pub

16-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Residents of the Welsh village of Cefn Cribwr have ensured their last remaining pub will reopen after raising £72,000 to buy it. They hope to be serving their first pints in a matter of months.

Book based on barred pub customers hits crowdfunding target

16-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

A book of short stories inspired by the infamous barred list of a Herne Hill pub will be published in spring 2018 after hitting its fundraising target of £4,000 on crowdfunding publisher Unbound earlier this month.

Dark Star launches beer mat inspired by pubs' charity work

15-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Sussex-based brewer Dark Star has launched a new set of beer mats to remind pub customers that UK pubs raise more than £100m every year for charity.

Can you turn Ashes to cash?

14-Nov-2017 By Tommy Leighton

Arguably, the winter’s biggest sporting occasion takes place largely while the UK sleeps, and it could be as tough for publicans to turn the Ashes into a profitable opportunity as it will be for Joe Root and his men to retain the fabled urn, Down Under.

Peaky Blinders bar to host season four curtain raiser

14-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The Peaky Blinders Bar & Grill in Paignton, Devon, is set to host a meet and greet with actors from hit TV series Peaky Blinders as well as a screening of the first episode on 15 November.

Pubs to reap rewards from international walking trails campaign

13-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Hundreds of British pubs on or near great national walking trails are on course to benefit from a new tourist promotion.

Britain’s highest pub features in Waitrose’s Christmas TV advert

13-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, Yorkshire, provides the remote setting for this year’s Christmas advert from Waitrose.

England take on Argentina in Autumn Internationals curtain raiser

10-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

In the first in a trio of Autumn Internationals at Twickenham, Eddie Jones' side take on Argentina in what the coach describes as their “most important game this year”.

Bierpro launched to help pubs save time, money and beer

10-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

A new brand launch this week included the reveal of a range of gadgets that can help pub owners increase keg yield and profits, as well as simplifying beer hygiene.

Fuller’s names its 2017 Pub of the Year

10-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The Old Customs House, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, has been awarded the Griffin Trophy by Fuller’s after being announced as it’s Pub of the Year.

What is digital ID app Yoti and what could it mean for pubs?

10-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

New app Yoti - Your Own Trusted Identity - which hosted a launch party at London’s Victoria House on Thursday (9 November), allows customers to leave their passports and driving licenses at home by uploading ID documents to a secure app on their phone....

Never Miss a Sale: How to make the most of the alcohol-free trend

10-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Head over to Patisserie Valerie, Spitalfields, east London, on Friday 24 November for a free-entry brunch and insight into the clamour for 0% products.

Most dog-friendly pub in the UK revealed

10-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

The owners of a West Berkshire pub are barking for joy after winning this year's nationwide Dog-friendly Pub Awards.

Advice on keeping pubs safe during the festive period

09-Nov-2017 By Emma Eversham

Christmas may traditionally be the time for goodwill, but combine a busy time of year with a rising number of threats to public safety and opportunist crime and you have the potential for problems.

British Institute of Innkeeping 2017: 'Through crisis management and triage – now on to physiotherapy'

09-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

A British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) general meeting highlighted a positive year amid tough conditions, with members voting to adopt revised articles of association.

Opinion

Mind the generation gap: what has put young people off going to the pub?

09-Nov-2017 By Sophie Atherton

Has the younger generation been put off going to the pub because smartphones feel like the world in your hand?

Rat-like creature and man's oldest mammal ancestor named after pub landlord

08-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

A newly-discovered species, which lived 145 million years ago and is man’s earliest mammal ancestor, has been named after a Dorset publican.

Guinness strengthens ties with English rugby union

08-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The Diageo-owned beer brand has signed a new four-year deal with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), which builds upon its existing partnership with England’s rugby union body.

All age groups want contactless payment

08-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

People of all age groups are increasingly tapping into contactless payment according to research from Vianet, the vending and hospitality industries’ leading SMART machine provider.

My Pub: The Botanist, Newcastle

07-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

New World Trading Company’s Newcastle Botanist site is a prime example of a bar that encourages innovation, creativity and well-trained staff. General manager Andrew Shiel-Redfern explains what it takes to run a site that ticks all the boxes.

My Pub: 185 Watling Street, Northamptonshire

07-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Originally a coaching inn at the beginning of the 19th century, 185 Watling Street has also been put to a host of different uses. Epic Pubs operations director Jonathan Taylor explains how a major refurbishment by the company two years ago not only restored...

Football protesters' smoke bomb forces Sheffield pub to evacuate

07-Nov-2017 By Georgina Townshend

A Sheffield pub was forced to evacuate its customers after a group of Hull City protesters let off a smoke bomb prior to a football match at the weekend.

In association with Sky Sports

Sky Sports video competition: clue number five

07-Nov-2017 By MA editorial

Sky Sports rugby union expert Will Greenwood will give you the fifth and final clue in the broadcaster's Winning Weekends Video Competition for the chance to win brilliant prizes.

How futuristic technology is already making waves in pubs

07-Nov-2017 By Katie Coyne

With Blade Runner 2049 showing in cinemas, futuristic technology is a hot topic. But how might robots, virtual reality or even artificial intelligence work in pubs?

Winners of the ALMR Operations Managers Awards 2017 revealed

07-Nov-2017 By Claire Churchard

The best operations managers in hospitality were celebrated last night at the chic ALMR Operations Managers Awards 2017 ceremony at the Pullman Hotel in central London.

BBC Sport expansion offers pubs the chance to experiment with live screenings

07-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The BBC has announced plans to increase its annual sports coverage by up to 1,000 hours as part of a “huge expansion of free-to-air-sport in the UK”.

The elephant in the room: CMA investigates hotel booking sites

06-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The rise of hotel booking websites during the past decade has satisfied web-based wanderlust – but are online travel agents giving everyone the best deal?

Marston's to pull Brulines from leased estate

06-Nov-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Marston’s is to remove Brulines, the beer-flow monitoring equipment, from across its 330-strong leased estate by 10 January 2018.

CAMRA names the UK’s best four pubs

06-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Two rival pubs from the north-west – Wigan Central, Wigan and the Cricketers, St Helens – were nominated alongside Weavers Real Ale House, a one-room micro pub near Kidderminster, and the Stanford Arms in Lowestoft, which has been nominated for the second...

Diageo National Pubwatch Awards unveils winners

03-Nov-2017 By Claire Churchard

Romford Town’s Pubwatch scheme collected the top prize at the glittering Diageo National Pubwatch Awards last night for its significant contribution to community safety.

Title-chasing United and City face stuttering London giants

03-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

Though the talking points from the world of sport this weekend will almost certainly be generated by Sunday’s double-header at the Premier League’s summit, there’s a huge selection of sport to choose from this weekend.

Pubco offers countryside walking app to attract younger crowd

02-Nov-2017 By Helen Gilbert

Brakspear is hoping to target younger drinkers with an interest in walking via a new app that details countryside trails within the Oxfordshire and Berkshire regions.

First Ultra HD World Cup can help pubs enhance fans' experience

02-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

FIFA has announced that all 64 football games broadcast from the 2018 Russia World Cup will be produced in Ultra High Definition (UHD) with High Dynamic Range (HDR).

Slug & Lettuce Beckenham to re-open its doors after festive facelift

01-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

A re-vamped Slug and Lettuce in Beckenham, south-east London, will open on Friday 3 November after an extensive, £250,000 renovation that is expected to create 10 new jobs across front-of-house positions.

Inquiry into hotel booking sites offers pubs opportunity to speak up

01-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into third-party hotel booking sites amidst concerns over the clarity, accuracy and presentation of their company information – including how they make money.

In asssociation with Sky Sports

Sky Sports video competition - clue number four

31-Oct-2017 By MA editorial

Sky Sports presenter Pete Graves will give you the fourth clue in the broadcaster's Winning Weekends Video Competition for the chance to win fantastic prizes.

‘Friendly ghost’ secures The Fleece Inn’s reputation as most haunted pub

30-Oct-2017 By Stuart Stone

A team of paranormal TV investigators, famed for examining cases as far afield as Dracula’s old haunts in Transylvania, came close to being chased out of a West Yorkshire pub by a ghost that bar staff consider “friendly”.