Always look on the bright side of life

Way back when I was a sales manager for one of the major brewers these contrasting stances struck me early on in my dealings with licensees. In fact it became one of the reasons I went into the trade as I felt that although it would be a challenge I was sure it would also be rewarding.

Quite often I would find myself in pubs making a sales call and/or being a customer finding that the publican’s biggest concern was complaining about how tough it was running a pub these days. I couldn’t help but think that the purpose of The Great British Pub was to create an environment where people could get away from all the stresses and strains of the world outside the pub door.

The last thing they want to hear is the problems and negativity of the very person whose job it is to cheer them up and make them feel looked after.

Bad run​

Recently this was put to the test in one of our own sites where we had a ‘bad run’ of six months including 12 weeks of flooding, a robbery, a
car driving through the front door and a road closure for a further four weeks. The temptation here was to be that negative person behind the bar, but we battled on, finding some kind of positive outcome in each and every situation.

The flooding was a prime example of this. Not once did our manager at the site close the doors. She simply saw that we now had a new lake opposite the pub, the beer cellar was now an indoor aquatic centre and our river simply became a medieval moat. Of course it had dire consequences, but we stayed positive on social media and to the guests coming in.

Game face​

The local villagers loved the ‘very British’ spirit we adopted and frequented more, and the support from the wider community was amazing, including a visit from the army who stayed for dinner and a cheeky ale when billeted up the road.

I’m happy to report that our beer garden is now slowly recovering but, more importantly, our like-for-likes are at a record high after some already tough numbers set last year.

What’s the moral of this slightly clichéd story? Put simply, you’ve always got to have your game face on. Being positive in front of the world, even when things aren’t quite working out in the short term, will have a positive effect in the long run, especially when it comes to guest satisfaction and repeat visits.

Don’t be the grumpy landlord and remember something positive can come out of any situation.

Anthony Pender is director of Yummy Pub Co​

UPDATE​: One of Yummy's pubs, The Grove Ferry Inn, was hit by a fire over the recent Bank Holiday weekend.​