Pubs criticised for food waiting times

Pubs need to sharpen up their food service and provide a more consistent all round performance, according to latest research.

Mystery visit specialists Retail Eyes has again exclusively shared details of its quarterly Inndicator Report with The Publican.​

And the consumer survey of 500 managed pub and bar venues does not make for great reading for pubs.

It found that one in four customers had to wait more than 20 minutes for meals to arrive and half of those thought this was "not acceptable".

Customers also raised concerns about a lack of staff checking back - which happened around half of the time - and plate clearing not being done promptly.

The poor service is reflected in the fact that 10 per cent of those taking part said they were "very unlikely" to return to the pub they visited.

And as the first Inndicator report revealed in January customers still don't feel staff are attentive enough when they arrive or leave.

Tim Ogle, Retail Eyes chief executive, said: " With the increasingly difficult economic conditions, a good standard of customer service is more important than ever - if a customer is unimpressed then they will not hesitate to take their money elsewhere and, sadly, overall the report indicates that only 45 per cent of customers would be likely to return to their pub as a result of service, and less than half received a friendly farewell.

"Now, more than ever, is one of the toughest times for UK pubs and the Inndicator Report clearly outlines how publicans can improve their customer experience and overall customer retention."

Overall people visiting the pubs gave them an average score of 81 per cent, slightly down on the previous report. Only two per cent achieved scores of 100 per cent.

How Inndicator is compiled

The Inndicator is a quarterly study based on 500 mystery visits to venues run by operators including Bay Restaurant Group, Fullers, Whitbread, Marstons, Greene King, TCG, Orchid, M&B, Spirit, JD Wetherspoon and Town and City.

For further information and to find out how to get the full report visit www.inndicator.co.uk​