Front Of House 21/10/09 16:10 Page 45
Tuesday November 3, 2009 – Intercontinental Hotel, London thePublican Monday 26/10/09 45
FOOD & DRINK
AWARDS 2009
WAGGON & HORSES
Halam, Nottinghamshire
Laura Wood
Since being taken over three years ago the Waggon & Horses has built up a
reputation as one of the best food-led pubs in the region. Supporting the
kitchen is a front-of-house team that concentrates on delivering a level of
customer service to match the food.
What is the range of job roles in the team?
The four full-time members of staff (excluding the owner) decide each day
their areas of responsibility, with each person able to undertake all the front-
of-house roles. The part-time members of the team then report to the relevant
individual while being gradually trained up to have the skills to work in all
parts of the business.
How do you maintain excellent customer service collectively and as THE FACTS
individuals?
Unusually the part-time members of staff typically join the pub for work expe- • Type of pub: Managed
rience rather than money and so those who stay beyond the trial period tend • Style of outlet: Country
to be sufficiently committed to deliver a high standard of customer service. pub close to town
Beyond this, Laura says it is vital that all the team are given the necessary • Wet/dry split: 45/55
information on the menu ahead of each shift as around a third of the menu
THE FAMOUS
• Total employees: 38
changes daily. • Front-of-House team:
WOOLPACK
14
What training is the team given?
The full-time members of the team are enrolled on the relevant NVQs while
the part-timers are gradually trained on-the-job in all aspects of the business.
Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
There are also refresher chats with the team members and refresher training
Rose Cunningham
to ensure they retain their knowledge, with Laura continuously firing random
questions at them in order to keep them focused.
The Famous Woolpack is a managed house, owned by Butcombe Brewery,
Why should you win this award? which has enjoyed significantly increased turnover under its current manage-
Having “pulled things tighter together” operationally last May with the likes ment, which prides itself on the level of training that it provides for its team.
of new uniforms, a new cleaning regime, and different table layouts, Laura
says it freed up more of her time to greet customers. The effect has been that What is the range of job roles in the team?
it has been picked up on by the rest of the team. “This has directly led to more Rose says all members of staff are able to do all the jobs in the pub and not
regular customers and increased the consistency of the service with it now just serve behind its two bars: “They can serve food, work behind the carvery,
being unusual for us to serve less than 30 lunches each day,” she says. and sometimes members of the front-of-house team also provide back-up in
the kitchen.” She adds that nobody has a specific job although the assistant
THE FACTS
manager also has managerial responsibility.
How do you maintain excellent customer service collectively and as
• Type of pub: Tenanted individuals?
• Style of outlet: Country Having a relatively low staff turnover helps, according to Rose, who monitors
food pub the customer service skills of staff continuously. Every member of the team
• Wet/dry split: 25/75 also attends the ‘Welcome Host’ training course from the local Tourist Board.
• Total employees: 18 There is also a team meeting each morning when details of new dishes are
• Front-of-House team: given and tastings undertaken, which helps deliver improved service.
11
What training is the team given?
Rose is proud of the fact that everybody at the pub is involved in some train-
ing modules. “They are encouraged to go on courses and they get paid for
doing so. We also provide incentives, which creates a desire for scoring highly
on the courses,” she says. Training begins with each new member of the team
having a ‘buddy’ assigned to them and progresses to them undertaking NVQs.
Why should you win this award?
The high level of training has given the team greater confidence and this has
helped them sell better to customers and deliver an improved level of
customer service, which Rose says has been pivotal in the pub’s growth. The
number of meals served each week has increased from 40 to 2,000 in only
two-and-a-half years. “There is a lot of local competition and we’re not the
cheapest pub but the ‘something different’ we provide is customer service,”
she says.
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