13-Apr-2012 By Rob Willock
How do you handle customer complaints? Do you welcome them; do you measure them; do you act on them or do you ignore them?
M&B community pubs get new name
14-Mar-2012 By John Harrington. M&C Report
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has placed its c.130-strong Town Centre & Community pubs under one name Oak Tree Pubs.
24-Aug-2011 By Mark Daniels
In his latest blog, Mark Daniels suggests that there is such a thing as 'too much customer service'.
26-May-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report
Booker has reached its target of trading with as many Buzz Bars as there are JD Wetherspoon pubs.
20-May-2011 By Gurjit Degun
Pubs have been urged to offer better customer service, deal with complaints efficiently, and offer food. That's the plea from ex-Pizza Express...
15-Mar-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report
Managed pub operator JD Wetherspoon has renewed its contract with customer service improvement firm Retail Eyes for a further two years. Retail Eyes...
08-Mar-2011 By Ewan Turney
JW Lees has launched a 10-point pledge to help bolster its relationship with its tenants and bring about a "cultural shift" at the company. An...
14-Feb-2011 By Lesley Foottit
Greene King is launching a training programme this month to help its licensees improve their customer service. The training, which is part of Greene...
07-Feb-2011 By Ewan Turney
Tiger Tiger operator Novus Leisure believes the London Olympics can be "another Christmas" and has targeted an extra £20m worth of sales over a six...
28-Jan-2011 By Lesley Foottit
People in the licensed trade come from all sorts of backgrounds. This particularly exotic bunch tell Lesley Foottit how they've made the transition.
O2 to launch new bespoke Wi-Fi service
26-Jan-2011 By James Wilmore
O2 has promised to take the "hassle and fear" away from licensees wanting to offer Wi-Fi with the launch of a new commercial service. The O2 service,...
22-Dec-2010 By The PMA Team
Mitchells & Butlers has unveiled a seven-year partnership with Brakes Group worth over £200m, delivering significant savings for the company.
Hamish Champ: Customer service, Warhammer style!
01-Nov-2010 By Hamish Champ
In such economically perilous times as these, when Hard-Pressed Consumers™ are looking for the best value experience they can get, it is staggering...
High street pubs fall short on service standards
25-Oct-2010 By James Wilmore
High street and community pubs are falling short with their customer service standards compared to food-led destination outlets, research has found....
22-Oct-2010 By Lesley Foottit
Food-led destination pubs provide the best customer service in the pubs and bars sector, according to a new survey.
21-Oct-2010 By Martyn Leek, M&C Report
Luminar confirmed this morning that it was continuing to see a "difficult trading environment" as it reported a like-for-like sales decline of 20.2%.
Pubs blacklisted from guidebook over poor service
07-Oct-2010 By James Wilmore
Bad service in pubs has led to nearly 400 being blacklisted by this year's Good Pub Guide. The guide, published this week, said four in 10...
Pub Doctor: Take a good look at yourself
22-Sep-2010
People are the heart of your pub business. From the selection that you hire to the customers who visit, people drive things forwards and are a key...
10-Sep-2010 By Dave McNulty
Pubs could learn a lot from Apple, says Dave McNulty, Coca-Cola Enterprises trading director — on premise.
03-Sep-2010 By MA Reporter
It's four months since we first visited the Boathouse in Tewkesbury as part of our Wine Seller series. Now we're back to see what effect...
06-Aug-2010 By Phil Mellows
Many licensees blame cheap, off-trade booze deals for the drop in pub sales, but a recent survey suggests there's more to it, reports Phil Mellows.
12-Jul-2010 By John Harrington
Managed operator Orchid Group is to spend £100,000 a year on a scheme to improve customer service at its pubs. The Exceptional Hospitality Scheme...
Sell More, Save More: Snacks - profits in the bag
01-Jul-2010
Back in February, both the rural and community pubs in our Sell More, Save More project had no clear strategy for their snacks offer and indeed had...
14-Jun-2010 By Ewan Turney
Like-for-like sales at the country's top pub and restaurant groups fell 1.2% in May on last year as trading remains tough. Companies taking part in...
Many recruits to pub sector lack necessary skills
07-Jun-2010 By Hamish Champ
The UK's pub and restaurant sectors are experiencing a 'talent hole', despite the recession making it easier for companies to hire and retain staff,...
26-May-2010 By Lesley Foottit
Pubs can get customer feedback and benchmark their service against the industry with the new Livebookings Barometer. The service reveals guest...
26-May-2010 By Melanie Drew
I have often said I'm on a one-woman mission to improve customer service, says Melanie Drew, licensee of the Abbey Inn in Byland Abbey.
10-May-2010 By The PMA Team
The Living Room bar and restaurant brand has launched a plan to broaden its customer appeal and build market share in the food and drink market.
Quality Focus: Master the basics
25-Mar-2010
A survey carried out by Retail Eyes in late 2009 shockingly showed that only six per cent of almost 7,000 consumers asked rated the quality of...
Quality Focus: Recruiting the smile
25-Mar-2010
Recruit the smile, and the training can follow later. That's the modern mantra used in barstaff recruitment. Genuinely outgoing personalities who...
26-Feb-2010 By Gemma McKenna
Almost three quarters of Charles Wells' licensees have given RDMs the seal of approval, according to a customer service survey.
Charles Wells given thumbs up from licensees
26-Feb-2010 By Matt Eley Matt
Support for Charles Wells tenants and lessees is getting better, according to results from a survey of the pub company's licensees. More than 100...
Research shows value most important when eating out
03-Feb-2010 By Claire Dodd Claire
Research conducted into why people recommend somewhere to eat has found that good customer service and value for money tops the bill. The findings...
22-Jan-2010 By John Harrington
Scottish pub and restaurant operator Maclay Inns plans to open five new venues in 2010 after reporting strong sales over the Christmas period....
Booker to host giveaways as 'thank you' to customers
15-Jan-2010 By Hamish Champ
Booker, the listed food and drink wholesaler, is to hold two days of "mega deals" and stock giveaways across its outlets next week in recognition of...
Mitchells & Butlers sees modest consumer recovery
26-Nov-2009 By Hamish Champ
Managed pub operator Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has created three new retail 'channels' in order to appeal to different spending patterns...
Supplies in their eyes
20-Nov-2009
You've got a great menu, sparkling service and you're offering it up to customers at a price that's good for them and offers you enough margin to...
Front of House Team 2009: Ye Old Sun Inn, Colton, North Yorkshire
18-Nov-2009
Ye Old Sun Inn in Yorkshire relies heavily on the skills of its front-of-house team to deliver its award-winning food, especially with the extra...
Back of House Team 2009: The Fiveways, Ormskirk, Lancashire
18-Nov-2009
Fiveways, a large, smart modern pub on the outskirts of Ormskirk in Lancashire, is one of the new breed of carveries developed by pubco Orchid Group....
28-Oct-2009 By Ewan Turney
Nearly half of all Brits (47%) are put off returning to eat at a restaurant or pub if the service charge is automatically added to the bill.
13-Oct-2009 By The PMA Team
Booker, the UK's leading food & drink wholesaler, has increased its like-for-like sales to catering customers by 12.6% for the 24 weeks to 11th...
05-Oct-2009 By Ewan Turney
Pubs must improve their retail standards, a new survey has claimed — hotels finished top of the pile.
Pub customer service levels slammed in survey
05-Oct-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
The pub sector needs to up its customer service levels, according to a survey from industry researchers. To coincide with National Customer Service...
02-Jul-2009 By Ewan Turney
Greene King is looking forward with "cautious optimism" after a 1.3% rise in revenue to £942.3m for the 52 weeks to 3 May. Operating profit dipped...
Pubs criticised for food waiting times
17-Jun-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Pubs need to sharpen up their food service and provide a more consistent all round performance, according to latest research. Mystery visit...
Customer service is key, not price
25-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Reputation and customer service are more likely to bring customers in than price, according to new research. In a survey of 9,000 people carried out...
Pub awarded for hard of hearing services
02-Feb-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
A pub has won a prestigious award in recognition of the efforts it makes to help the hard of hearing. The True Lover's Knot in Tarrant Keyneston,...
Mystery visit reveals pubs could offer warmer welcome
29-Jan-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Pubs need to step up their aftercare service and the way they welcome customers, a new mystery visit report has revealed. Mystery visit specialists...
Carlsberg to 'deliver more' with new pub initiative
23-Jan-2009
Carlsberg is getting behind pubs with a new trade initiative it claims will transform the way it works with the on-trade.Launching on February 2 the...
16-Jan-2009 By Gemma McKenna
Carlsberg UK has introduced a charge for installing and maintaining handpulls for customers who order small amounts of Carlsberg-supplied ale.
