ESP Bar Team of the year

This award recognises the bar team that has demonstrated excellence in the following areas: quality of serve, teamwork and outstanding customer service

North: Old Station

Birstwith, North Yorkshire

Drinkers at the Old Station have come to expect nothing but the best in retail standards due to the professionalism of the staff at the North Yorkshire village pub. Much of the credit goes to the trade experience of lessees Richard and Michael Caven, who took over the business last year after successful careers in food and drinks retailing with national companies.

It is also down to the hands-on approach of bar manager Wendy Campbell, who has instilled a new approach to service and quality among the Old Station staff. A warm welcome and drinks served with professionalism and flair are the very least customers now get when they walk into the bar.

A one-day drinks retailing course, "Every Serve Perfect," operated by drinks giant Diageo, has done much to fine-tune the retail offering at the pub. It has paid rich dividends for the business, resulting in a huge uplift in spirit sales and, just as important, a lot of satisfied customers.

For Wendy, the course was an eye-opener, providing her with a host of new skills that have been passed on to other staff working behind the Old Station bar. She remarks: "I like to think our service in the pub was good anyway, but the course enabled us to pick up new skills and learn a lot of different retail tips.

"It was not rocket science. A lot of it was common sense. It made you view things through the eyes of the customer and that put a whole new perspective on things. It was a very thorough course and I have been able to pass on everything to other members of the staff, with the result that a new retail philosophy now prevails throughout the business."

Spirit sales have increased by 60% and Guinness sales have also improved, with the bar now turning over two 11-gallon kegs per week instead of the previous half a keg.

Richard was formerly a Scottish & Newcastle Retail manager before joining Pizza Express, where brother Michael was an area manager. Their new company took over the Old Station after signing a lease with owner Punch. The company runs another North Yorkshire pub, the Blue Bell Inn at Kirby Hill near Boroughbridge, which is owned by Cumbria brewer Jennings.

Richard remarks: "We had a lot of work on our hands getting the Old Station shipshape and we have had a very good first year. But it's all down to team work and emphasis on service and quality to keep our customers happy."

Central: Tenbury Wells,

Fountain Inn Worcestershire

Teamwork at the Fountain Inn extends way beyond the bar. When staff go out socially, they go out together. When they arrange private parties, they have them in the pub. And those with children bring them into the pub's own crèche.

The Fountain's owner Russell Allen comments: "We're one big happy family. The fact that all the staff get on and enjoy themselves while they're working translates to the customers who are able to share the experience."

Russell and wife Michaela bought the Fountain five years ago and have spent £750,000 transforming it into a premier destination venue. They have also invested in staff and are justifiably proud of their team, whose customer service standards win regular praise.

Manager David Leach says: "We have regular staff meetings and various incentive schemes that encourage staff to practise their selling techniques. We are also meticulous in the way we present drinks and interact with customers. Employees are trained to learn about the drinks they sell and this helps customers in their choice of drinks.

"We also suggest certain wines with certain dishes on the menu. A customer may ask for a Chardonnay as a matter of course, but it helps when a member of the bar staff suggests something else for a change."

Every member of the bar team can also change a barrel or clean the lines.

Presentation, though, is a key to the customer service offered at the Fountain.

If branded glassware is not available to match a particular drink, then it is unlikely that it will be stocked because employees are trained to follow the "Every Serve Perfect" motto promoted by Diageo.

This was further reinforced when two members of staff, Sadie Donaldson and Leoma Drew, attended a recent Diageo training session, which confirmed the existing procedures and techniques adopted at the Fountain already met high standards.

Sadie comments: "We did learn a lot and we now know that offering lime to customers along with the usual ice and lemon with a gin and tonic can certainly be good for business.

"We have our own organic herb and vegetable garden here as well so the herbs come in handy for our Pimm's, which is one of our speciality drinks.

"Staff members are also encouraged to get involved in the running of the business and at our regular Monday surgery, we suggest ideas that are costed and if they're viable, they will be introduced."

Home Counties: The Stag

Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire

Terri Myler knows that if anything untoward happens at the Stag, she will soon be in the firing line, even though the pub is located in rural Burnham Beeches. The reason is quite simple ­ the Stag is also home to the head office of owner Interpub.

The pubco shouldn't have any reason to question Terri, however, because she is a stickler for detail especially when it comes to serving drinks. She says: "I like to see the glasses sparkling, the ice is clear and an eye-catching display for all the bottles. And branded glasses are the right way around when handed to customers."

Terri has instilled the same high standards in her staff since arriving at the Stag nearly two years ago. She remarks: "All the staff know my standards. Everything has to look good. I suppose that's the chef's training in me. After all, a drink is another form of food."

It wasn't quite like that when Terri arrived because the pub had lost some of its direction during a succession of managers. Food sales had fallen to as low as £200 per week ­ they now achieve up to £1,800 and are still on the upward path.

Terri spends a fair degree of her time supervising work in the kitchen and relies on assistant manager Lucy Scott to oversee the bar staff. Like Terri, Lucy has been on the Diageo "Every Serve Perfect" training course. Lucy has also benefited from Interpub's own training programme ­ "Footstep Achievement Record". The programme consists of 20 footsteps, each dealing with a particular aspect of the hospitality trade, from a basic induction through to particular skills such as cellar management and customer service.

Now that all of the Stag's nine members of staff are working in unison, the results are starting to show through with wet sales on the increase. A measure of the increase can be gauged by sales of £10,000 per week during the Euro 2004 football tournament despite the pub's rural setting on the edge of Burnham Beeches forest.

Terri can remember the days when the Stag used to have nine real ales on the bar because she was head chef at the pub in the early 1990s. At present, only two ales are on offer, but Terri remarks: "My aim is to build the number up, but real ale sales are very dependent on how many walkers we get in."

West: Bickley Mill Inn

Stoneycombe, Devon

The Bickley Mill Inn must be one of the hardest places to find. It is located in the small village of Stoneycombe, near Newton Abbot, a village so small that it doesn't appear on many road atlases and there are virtually no signposts.

For those that make it, however, the pub is a haven for those who like top-quality food and drink. Therefore, Adrian and Patricia May, who bought the freehouse nearly three years ago, realise that unless they offer the best possible service, many of their customers will be once only visitors.

It is primarily the job of Adrian and head barman Matt Goldsmith to ensure every drink served exceeds customers' expe