Prepare pubs' outside areas or risk losing trade

A couple of great pubs I know use weather forecasts, especially the much-improved versions, to help them plan, which ensured that when the very warm weather arrived mid March they were ready to trade their outside areas and the customers responded, with, in one instance, improved income of over 80% (yes, that’s 80%)!

We all know that as soon as the sun appears customers want — almost demand — to be outside and I decided to visit a number of places in the Somerset and Bristol regions to find out just how well-prepared pubs are. As all pubs need to fight hard to keep existing business in this tough trading environment, as well as attract new customers, I was hoping to find all the pubs with terrific gardens and patios, ready and open for business.

Unfortunately, not one of them was ready and indeed most were simply dreadful. Grass not cut, benches stacked in a corner with tarpaulin over them. Patios full of weeds and fag ends, the list goes on and on. Bearing in mind that by now the temperature was around 22°C and we’d had no rain for 10 days, the pubs’ attitude to a potentially lucrative trade period was unbelievable.

In most cases, all that was needed was a few hours graft to get these areas in good condition. However, the lack of interest and attention to detail outside was, unfortunately, usually reflected inside as well.

So get that grass cut, jet wash that patio and furniture, and beg, borrow or buy good quality awnings and umbrellas and let everyone walking or driving by know that your garden area is open and ready for business.

Oh, one final point — please can you collect all those sauce sachets you insist on providing (and the customers hate) and throw them in the bin? Treat your customers with respect and use branded bottles. I have heard so many reasons for using sachets from licensees over the past 25 years and not one of them has ever made any sense.

Finally, with the ‘greatest show on earth’ starting in less than 90 days, have you planned your own pub’s Olympic period? There are so many great opportunities to build a three to four-week promotion around this occasion and make your pub the place to watch and participate. Good luck.

David Elliott is chairman at Hinton Pub Company​