An honest approach

The Alan Percival philosophy of being a good host is based on intelligence and genuine warmth rather than larger-than-life gimmickry.

There are no cartoon-strip ties, vicars and tarts parties or two-for-one promotions to generate a false sense of excitement, just an honest approach that results in a welcome for diners or drinkers, young or old.

You don't need character with a capital "C" to run a pub, he says. "We used to have a licensee down the road who was notoriously rude to people but it used to draw people because the locals used to sit watching him dressing down some poor unsuspecting customer."

Licensees and staff need to be a good judge of personality, he says. "It depends how well you know the people. It doesn't matter what kind of situation you are dealing with, the best way to do it is to be polite and show people a bit of respect. If people are causing trouble you have to stand your ground and remain aware of who's in charge and whose place it is. Especially if people have had a few drinks, it's not helpful to take an aggressive stance."

And it doesn't help if the person behind the bar is at the same level of inebriation he adds.

"I don't tend to drink when I'm working. If I do go for a drink, I tend to go somewhere else. You can't act like an idiot one night, then tell someone else off for being like that the next."