Revamped local takes flight

William and Debbie Jackson tell Ewan Turney how they turned the closed Union Pub Company Bird in the Barley in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, into a thriving food-led business

How I got here

Debbie and I have worked in hotels all our lives. I managed a local hotel for 20 years before becoming operations director of a group of hotels. We left jobs with good salaries to run a pub, but it is nice working for yourself and being your own boss although running a pub is double the amount of work.

The pub was run by a holding management company when we went to look at it, and when we came back Environmental Health had closed it because of problems in the kitchen. Trade was negligible and sometimes there were only two customers in the pub but we could see the potential. We closed for the first two weeks and had a rent-free concession from Union Pub Company (UPC). We spent £30,000 of our own money refurbishing the kitchen, installing new equipment and sprucing the place up.

Why my pub is a success

1. Staff: We have an excellent team who are young, enthusiastic and bubbly. They are also friendly and open. The majority of our customers are grey market and appreciate a warm welcome. We recently won the UPC award for customer service.

2. Atmosphere: We are a traditional pub. We keep it simple. You can come in and have good drink and food in a comfortable environment with an open log fire. We don't have

TV sets, music or fruit machines. We are a

traditional pub.

3. Food: About 98% of our food is cooked from scratch and predominantly locally sourced. We offer dishes such as steak and ale pie, lamb shanks, and bangers and mash. Plus we do old fashioned dishes such as braised liver and onions - the kind of food that people tend not to cook at home. We have a seniors menu which is £4.25 and it has smaller portions. During lunch we will do between 50 to 80 meals a day and in the evening between 30 to 70.

How I ensure good customer service

The major skill I learnt from my hotel experience is the importance of customer service. I am surprised how many places provide bad service. It doesn't cost anything to give good service and adds so much extra to your business.

1. Welcome: It is vital to meet and greet people when they come in and give them a warm welcome. Say good morning or afternoon. Make time for your customers and get to know them. Our predominantly senior market really appreciate that. Their first impression is a good one and they feel comfortable and relaxed. Get to know what your customers' likes and dislikes are and where their favourite table is.

Equally, tail the visit with a good-bye. If we get new customers, I ask them for feedback and make a note of this. If you top and tail their visit with a friendly welcome and good-bye, they will come back.

2. Training: Our training is ongoing in terms of wine tastings and menu content. Waiting staff must be attentive but not over-powering. They need to know when to clear the table and must keep an eye on drinks.

3. Motivation: The award we won has been a big boost. It rewards the staff for their hard work. We mainly employ students and although some of them have left, the new staff have been set the benchmark by the award and have a challenge to maintain this over the next year.

What I look for in staff

Recruitment is a major part of getting customer service right. Staff must be friendly, outgoing and be prepared to chat to customers. If a mistake is made then you can get away with it to an extent if the staff are friendly and efficient. If you have surly staff, even the smallest problem can become a big one.

I look for an outgoing nature over experience. You can always teach bar skills but you can't teach a person to smile.

My smoking ban

We closed in September for a month while we added a £100,000 conservatory. It increased our capacity because we used to turn away between 20 to 30 potential customers daily. Other people had to wait an hour for a table, so we had to do something.

When we reopened we opted for a smoke-free venue, which has been excellent. Only two couples said they wouldn't return but there has been no drop in business. It has gone well and I highly recommend this option.

My advice is introduce a non-smoking venue now or early in the new year. We will all have to do it in July, so what is the point of waiting. The sooner you do it, the better.

We also have an outside area with a heated jumbrella but few people used it, so I wrapped it up for winter.

People are generally happy to pop outside if they want to smoke. I am concerned that licensees will spend fortunes on outside areas for a minimal market. People are already accustomed to smoking bans in the cinema and on long-haul flights.

My Pub

Lease: 21-year Union Pub Company

Turnover in 2002: Closed when

we initially took over the pub

Turnover 2003: £240,000

Turnover 2006: £300,000

Wet: Dry split: 30%:70%

Covers: 90

Average spend/head: £8

Lunch: 50-80/day

Dinner: 30-70/day

GP on food: 60%

GP on beer: 55%

Staff: 26, 13 full-time