Pub animals
Shell-shocked licensee upset over missing pub tortoise
A pub in Lincolnshire has lost its pet tortoise from the beer garden and is appealing for help in the community to help find him.
Archives for September 7, 2016
Recruitment
How to win the recruitment war
Music festivals, YouTube videos, Snapchat clips and celebrity endorsements could all be weapons in the pub sector’s armoury as it fights the war for talent.
Events
Great British Pub Awards 2016 - the finalists
Find out all you need to know about the Great British Pub Awards 2016, including finalists, the event and the winners.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Student Winner - The Doctor's Orders, Sheffield
Previously the West End Hotel, the Doctor’s Orders is a totally refurbished pub located near to the university district in Sheffield with its name taken from its proximity to the city centre’s Hallamshire hospital.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Wine finalist - The Waterfront, Plymouth
The fact that the Waterfront has established itself as a thriving business is a testament to the dedication and passion of its licensees Steve Bellman and John Milan.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Student finalist - The Swan, Lincoln
The Swan is very good quality students’ union that delivers on the elements that it wants to bring together: live entertainment and music; good quality food and drink; societies and clubs; and community relations.
Vintage Ales
Fuller's launches Vintage Ale 2016
Fuller's has released its 2016 edition of Vintage Ale to the public.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community Winner - The Firbank Pub & Kitchen, Manchester
Simon Delaney lives and breathes Wythenshawe. As the owner of The Firbank, along with his wife Rachel, in the Manchester suburb for the past 21 years, he’s passionate about his home turf and keen to dispel myths surrounding an area once branded “the...
BEER BRANDING
Upset Hindus urge brewery to withdraw ‘offensive’ Ganesh beer branding
Hindus upset by a Belgian brewery’s depiction of the god Ganesh on its beer branding have called for its removal.
Apprenticeship Levy
Pub boss calls for rethink on apprenticeship plans
The government’s plans to impose an apprenticeship levy could put the brakes on the ability of the industry to train efficiently, a leading pub operator has warned.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family finalist - The Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby, Kent
Making the jump from the music industry into the hospitality sector seemed like a good option for Fighting Cocks’ licensee Chris Maskery, and eight years on he’s taken a struggling, run down and unloved operation and transformed it into a stand-out...
Employment
Employment expert Katrina Fox gives tips on how to get and retain staff
Employment expert Katrina Fox will be advising delegates at the next MA500 meeting this month (September) on how to attract and retain staff. Ahead of the event, Fox reveals some of her top tips. Nikkie Sutton reports.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community finalist - The Ropemakers, Bridport, Dorset
Taking on a pub that had previously been named locally as the Dopemakers and turning into a thriving community hub, hosting everything from cheese clubs to touring bands is no mean feat, but Geraldine and John Baker seized the challenge with both hands.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Wine finalist - The Yew Tree Inn, Bunbury, Cheshire
The team at the Yew Tree Inn, Bunbury, is not afraid to push the boat out when it comes to showcasing a daring range of wines.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Student finalist - The Cowley Retreat, Oxford
The Cowley Retreat is not marketed as a students’ pub and there is a clear desire to make it a space for everyone, rather than just the ‘beer and a burger’ student market.
MA Property
6 tips from the experts on choosing the right agent for selling on your pub
With dozens of agents claiming to be the licensed property specialist for you, choosing the right agent when selling a pub can be a daunting endeavour. We asked a selection of experts in the pub property market for their advice on finding an agent that...
Leeds
Why should operators consider Leeds?
Co-founder of Arc Inspirations, Martin Wolstencroft will be speaking to delegates about Leeds at this month's MA500 meeting and advising them on the city.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Wine finalist - The Truscott Arms, Maida Vale, west London
Andrew and Mary-Jane Fishwick’s stellar pub, the Truscott Arms, sadly closed after being named as a finalist for Best Wine Pub.
MA Sport
The Weekend Sport: Rivalries renewed
Pep Guardiola's first encounter with Jose Mourinho in the Premier League, plus the first top-flight Old Firm derby in four years dominate the weekend's sport.
Reopening
Nottingham pub goes 100% vegan
A Nottingham pub has reopened after a brief refurbishment with a completely meat and animal product-free menu.
Good Pub Guide
Music top complaint for pub goers
Music is the top complaint from pub customers, according to this year’s The Good Pub Guide.
Spirits
New Star Wars film ‘kept people out of the pub’ at Christmas
Stormy weather, Christmas markets and the new Star Wars film kept punters out of the pub last Christmas, according to Pernod Ricard’s UK (PRUK) on-trade channel director Ian Peart. But those who made it to the bar did spend more.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community finalist - The Wrygarth Inn, Great Hatfield, East Yorkshire
The Wrygarth Inn has a connection to the local area going back more than 200 years, however, when Ray and Sandra Thompson took on the business it had been empty for two years and the car park was virtually overgrown.
Bar Opening
The Orange Tree, Derby is all set to blossom later this month
A focus on premium cocktails and spirits is the driving force behind the latest opening for the Orange Tree Group.
NEW OPENING
Michelin-starred pub chef-patron to open fourth site
The owner of one of the country’s top gastropubs has announced plans to open a fourth site in Whitby.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Student finalist - Champs, Sheffield
Champs Sports Bar and Grill near to the city centre of Sheffield provides an environment in which to watch football and other sports within the catchment area of the student population of the university district.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community finalist - Alexandra Vaults, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire
Due to celebrate 150 years of history, this fantastic community pub –tucked away in the back streets of a former Quaker town – has plenty of charm.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community Pub 2016 - the shortlist
The finalists for this year's Best Community Pub at the Great British Pub Awards.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Wine Winner - The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate, north London
The Red Lion & Sun, in London’s leafy suburb of Highgate, has a wine list both adventurous and accessible, driven by licensee Heath Ball and his team’s dedication to providing the best possible offer for their customers.
JDW
Stonegate has exchanged on a package of 10 JD Wetherspoon pubs
The package comprises pubs in High Wycombe; North Finchley; Torquay; Berwick; Walton-on-Thames; Banbury; Cheadle Hulme; Hull; Reading and Newquay.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Wine finalist - The Chequers Inn, Bilton-in-Ainsty, York
Antony Pratt’s idyllic Yorkshire pub the Chequers won the title of Best Wine Pub last year and it’s easy to see why.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family finalist - The Five Bells, Colne Engaine, Essex
This is a strong, family-focussed pub that offers a good mix of services and events for all aspects of its local community.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family finalist - The Puss in Boots
The Puss in Boots is a powerhouse of a family pub, catering for more than 2,000 covers a week, with a first-rate carvery and the recent addition of pizzas, which have gone down a storm with kids.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family finalist - The White Horse, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire
An ambition to create the kind of pub that he would want to take his own family to is behind the success of Andy Hunt’s operation.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Student finalist - Dram, Glasgow
Dram, run by licensee Jackie Keith, shows a real caring attitude towards its student customers with its prices, the variety of food offers and the information around the site.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family finalist - The Wrygarth Inn, Great Hatfield, East Yorkshire
Situated off the beaten track, the Wrygarth Inn has to punch well above its weight to ensure it can pull in the punters both locally and from further afield.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Family Winner - The Boot, Hertfordshire
Zoe Eliasson and her partner Nick Idle have a long association with their pub, the Boot, in Sarratt, Hertfordshire.
Great British Pub Awards
Pub Awards: Best Community finalist - The Chequers, Westoning, Bedfordshire
The Chequers is a beautiful pub firmly embedded into its village community, a feat its owners, Philip and Vicki Kelly, have accomplished in a remarkably short time.