Chris Maclean: the Railway strikes back

The anger and frustration of last week, after Wetherspoon's put its signs up comparing prices between themselves and other pubs in town, has started to subside. This campaign is not new and many licensees have had to deal with it for many years. It is the very nature of competition.

When I first took over the Railway Hotel I knew there was a Wetherspoon's a hundred yards away. Wetherspoon is a very big, very powerful company which delivers a stunning business. Ten years ago this would have filled me with dread. Certainly many licensees, faced with the very keen pricing and long hours offered by the chain, gave up and left their pubs. Some have struggled on. There a plenty of closed urban pubs that have fallen by the wayside. But Wetherspoon has been around for over 25 years and there are still plenty of other pubs out there ~ who have weathered the impact and provide a diverse range of offerings.

My first task was to come back to work the next day with five good reasons for our staff why a customer might drink in the Railway Hotel rather than Wetherspoon's. It is a tough one. It isn't easy to justify why you might.

But unless you can see beyond the obvious, your pub will be at a disadvantage. You cannot compete. You must offer something that is different, distinctive and good.

Here my anger at this price comparison has given way to a more calculating response.

I have commissioned a banner which simply says "The Railway Hotel ~ we're not as cheap as Wetherspoon's". The effect has been fantastic. I've had dozens of people who have understood it. I am feeling rather smug that it is so subliminally effective.

But before I get too cocksure of myself, a young girl innocently asked me if I knew someone had stuck a banner on the side of my pub. She said it wasn't very complimentary. It said our pub was expensive. I reassured her this was OK and she sweetly asked me if I had any job vacancies. I muttered something negative and carried on sweeping...