andrew sangster's beer column
Quality of service is key to determining whether a leisure business will succeed or not. But, unfortunately, a new survey on the subject shows few pub and bar operators are getting it right.
An NOP Research Group survey of 1,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales found restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, boutiques and corner shops are considered to give better service than pubs and bars.
While pubs are rated the worst for service, supermarkets - the source of most beer drunk at home - are rated top. Of the respondents, 24% said supermarkets were top for service compared with only 8% who rated pubs as best. It is fatuous to suggest better service in supermarkets alone is creating a trend towards home drinking, but it is clear customers are dissatisfied with their experience in pubs.
One reason people like supermarkets is that they know what they are going to get. Volumes, weights, ingredients and prices are clearly labelled. Ordering a round of drinks in a pub is a different experience; price lists are often not shown or too hard to read. Ask for an orange juice and you can expect anything from a cordial to a bottle of Britvic.
Even quantities are uncertain. A pint of beer can contain up to 5% of froth. No one would accept a pint of milk that was 5% short of a full measure, so why expect customers in a pub to do so?
A simple way to guarantee full measures is to introduce oversized, lined glasses. Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&D) uses them at its pubs and has won plaudits from consumer groups as a result.
W&D is also winning customers in other ways at its Lion Brewery in Hartlepool, Cleveland, which it bought in 1992. It is improving the quality of the Camerons beers produced at the plant.
For me, the best is the ruby red Camerons Strongarm. The beer had suffered under the previous owner - the troubled Brent Walker group - as it cut costs by using cheaper malts. Now the brew is back to full health.
- Beer of the month
Camerons Strongarm, 4% abv. Available in casks of nine, 18 and 36 gallons at £49.51, £99.01 and £198.50 plus VAT respectively. Tel: 01429 266666.
