Star trains mystery shoppers to spot pint perfection

The Pint Perfection tuition is provided by parent company Heineken’s own Draught Masters — the same team that provides free-of-charge training to Star’s lessees — with a view to giving ‘quality of serve’ a greater weighting in mystery visit assessments.

Chris Jowsey, trading director of Star Pubs & Bars, said: "The importance of serving the perfect pint cannot be overestimated. The only reason someone orders a second pint is based on the quality of the first pint.

"It impacts on the pub’s immediate revenue, its reputation and its future trade.

"The retail cost of losing a pint a day in a drip tray is around £1,200 a year per tray, which equates to £9,600 for an average pub with eight drip trays. It is a massive loss in earnings."

Earlier this year, Star announced that the Heineken Smart Dispense system - which chills beer as it leaves the keg - would be installed in all new pub refurbishments.