At your service
We ask pub owners and managers for tips on delivering top service
It's been a good year for the Albion in Clifton Village, Bristol, says joint owner Ian Rayner.
Open for less than a year and already with a clutch of awards, including Class magazine's Best Pub award, Ian says one of the keys to the Albion's success is service.
"We'll never do silver service here - its got no place in a pub," he explains. "It's more about a casual service with very friendly staff. We do put a huge emphasis on training so we can give staff the knowledge to give good service. The Albion does quality food and people will ask a lot of questions about the food and wine."
When Ian hires new staff, he's not looking for a highly-qualified waiter. "You can always train people. I look for characters and people with common sense - you can never teach that."
You'll never get a stray finger in your glass at the Ring O'Bells in Thornton, near Bradford,West Yorkshire.
It's general manager Christophe Merlin's pet hate and he drums it into staff that picking up two glasses with thumb and finger is a big no no. However, he says he's been lucky because he has been working with more or less the same team for three-and-a-half years.
Christophe says: "We are a friendly team and that's important. I would say 80% of our customers are local and everyone knows everyone.
"When I do have to bring in someone new,I never hire staff on a CV - that's just a bit of paper and doesn't mean anything. I'll out them on the spot by getting them in to do a shift.
"I don't mind nerves but you can tell how they will be by the little things like smiling and their conversations with customers. I can tell everything on that one shift."
