Thinking culture: the best pub business ideas

AB InBev boss Stuart MacFarlane says pubs should embrace new concepts and be inspired by Starbucks. Phil Mellows asked six operators how they get their business ideas. Oddly, none of them mentioned Starbucks…

Inspiration found in Innocent Drinks — Hamish Stoddart, Peach Pub Company:​

As part of the Cearns & Brown family business, Peach Pub Company co-founder Hamish Stoddart brought with him a different take on the pub trade, and he was further inspired by his brother, Gordon, who recommended the work of service management guru VS Mahesh.

Another influence was a top ad agency. "Wolff Olins rebranded Cearns & Brown, and that's where I learned about branding, building a brand like Peach.

"Ideas come from different industries and talking to people who spark you off," he continues.

"I look to world-class brands such as Innocent Drinks and the customer service of Southwest Airlines and try to make what they do work in pubs.

"I also think you need the kind of creative tension you get between Lee Cash (Peach's other founder and a classic restaurateur) and myself — and brain-storming sessions with your teams are always good."

Rare among pub operators, Stoddart is a reader, and his shelves are stacked with books on service management. He recommends four titles to start you off:

• The Ultimate Question by Frederick F. Reichheld

• Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

• Good to Great by Jim Collins

• The Speed of Trust by Stephen MR Covey

Dragons' Den star's BII talk prompted vacuum tubes and breakfasts — Brian Whiting, managing director at Whiting & Hammond:​

"The best idea I picked up came from a BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) lunch," says Whiting, who runs the six food-led pubs in the Whiting & Hammond chain.

"Simon Woodroffe, from Dragons' Den (and founder of YO! Sushi), was the speaker and I found him inspiring. I got what he said about creating theatre with food, doing things that will make people stop and look.

"We were probably already doing it subconsciously, of course, but we think about it more, and it all stemmed from that talk.

"We're always doing something different," he goes on. "It can be anything from serving a larger than normal piece of fish, to the vacuum tube that sends the orders to the kitchen at the Little Brown Jug (at Chiddingstone Causeway, Kent). It creates a talking point.

"Eighteen months ago we started doing breakfasts at weekends and it was a success. This year we'll focus on our gardens and make them the best pub gardens around."

Tapping into Czech brewers' expertise — Jamie Hawksworth, beerhouse operator:​

Hawksworth operates three innovative beerhouses, Pivo in York, the Sheffield Tap and the Euston Tap in London, all serving an interesting range of beers — cask ales and brews from all over the world.

His inspiration these days comes from the Czech Republic, he says.

"I was blown away by the craft-beer revolution in the USA, and I'm grateful for what that's done, but now we're looking more to what's happening in Europe, which is very different.

"The Czech Republic is unbelievable. When the communist regime was kicked out, the major brewers moved in and tied bars to their products, but now those agreements have run out and operators are setting up craft-beer bars. The Czech Republic suddenly has 30 craft breweries and the quality is fantastic.

"The bars themselves are based on simplicity, a functional space. They have the right glassware for every style of drink. I had a wheat beer in a Boddingtons glass here the other day. That's like serving soup on a plate. It's not how it's supposed to be.

"And quality is vital. A Czech bar manager is in total charge of the beer, how the bar is set up. That doesn't happen in the UK. Barstaff are allowed to fiddle with the dispense."

Research trips reap rewards at Capital — Scott Collins, Capital Pub Company:​

Pub entrepreneur Collins takes care of the development pubs in Capital Pub Company's growing London estate. Travel is essential in finding out the next big thing the customer will be looking for, he believes.

"I do get around the world. Research trips don't always have to be outside the UK, but you have to see what's happening. It's a good idea to keep your eyes open, wherever you are."

His latest innovation was inspired by a visit to Los Angeles where he ate "the best pizza I've ever had". Now he's introducing a gourmet pizza menu to three of Capital's pubs — the Clarence in Balham, the Actress in East Dulwich and the latest addition to the estate, Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross.

"Pizza is comfort food, and it's sharing food. When I got back from LA I found the best oven I could get. It's a Wood Stone gas-fired one and, at £20,000, it's quite an investment — a statement if you like. They won't be your usual Neapolitan-style pizzas. We're using English flour and toppings, and we can use the oven to cook rustic dishes, too, such as spatchcock chicken."

And this is just one example. At Capital, Collins says, they innovate "on a daily basis".

"We tend to pick up ideas everywhere, from the Michelin-starred restaurants and travel, to brainstorming in the team."

Apres ski and the John Lewis partnership — Oisin Rogers, manager of two Young's pubs:​

Rogers manages two Young's pubs, the Ship at Wandsworth and the Orange Tree in Richmond, both in south-west London, and makes a point of visiting top eateries.

"I eat out a lot and see how good restaurants do things," he says. "The River Café on Brooklyn Bridge had the best service I've had anywhere. I couldn't decide between two desserts — the apple pie and the lemon posset — and the waiter went away and came back with both, saying he'd personally pay for the one I didn't like.

"It's about understanding what the customer really wants. I don't let any new staff go near a customer until they've had an hour with me explaining

that philosophy to them. I do training sessions on that for Young's now.

"I'm inspired all over the place. I remember going to the Krazy Kanguruh après-ski bar in Austria 20 years ago and they were doing the things we're doing now — looking after your customers in a brilliant way. I always look back to it."

John Lewis department stores, with their partnership schemes for employees, have also got him thinking.

"John Lewis's service is so good because the staff have a stake in the business. That's quite powerful, I think. We can't exactly do that here, but we can encourage staff to take responsibility for the customer experience, convince them they're representing us.

"The trick is to empower them so that they take responsibility to make the decisions that will make a customer happy. I don't mind how they do that, I'll back them 100%. There are no rules."

Rogers is also strongly influenced by social media and the blogosphere. The burgers served at his pubs — made from beef ground in the kitchens, home-baked buns and their own pickles — are inspired by debates on the web about the desire for a better burger.

"I keep close to the blogging scene. You can find out what people want to see. And we ensure the bloggers are looked after. We held a bloggers' lunch before Christmas and they all wrote about us afterwards. It's good for business. They have the power of influence."

American diners, English pubs and Dutch brown bars — Charlie McVeigh, owner of Draft House pubs group:​

McVeigh developed the Draft House concept based on the beer traditions of Belgium and Germany and the modern craft-brewing revolution in the United States. There are currently three Draft Houses, the Northcote in Clapham, the Westbridge in Battersea and the latest at Tower Bridge.

"The US and UK brewing industries are on the same trajectory," he explains.

"In the UK it's taking longer, but there's been an explosion of interest in craft beer, people are enjoying the diversity. At the same time we want Draft House to do what Belgium's bars have always done — serve food with beer, take beer seriously, respect its history and