Why Does It Have to Be this Way?

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As I wrote last evening, we called over to The Bull at Biwmares for lunch today. As is becoming usual and decidedly tedious: nay, frankly worrying; there was no Bass on, and the Hancock's ale was sub-par: another day and what's left in the barrel is ullage and destined for the drain; although I suspect that none of the staff will notice until someone sends their pint back. Two things about the once-estimable and historic Bull Inn highlight the parlous and perilous state of our hospitality sector today. One was that the kitchen was idle - for an unstated reason - half an hour after opening the establishment for lunch. Two was the issue I've just highlighted with the state of the real ale being offered and its serving by staff - one individual excepted - who seem incapable of serving a full, legally-enforceable pint measure of what after all is not a cheap product. I would suggest that this is simply a lack of training, as the staff concerned are far too young to have direct experience of being consumers in a properly-run public house.

The Bull was recently taken over by a large chain, turning what was previously a locally run family establishment into a drone clone of a place, and gradually sucking the marrow out of an inn which has a history stretching back centuries [blog posts passim]. It is by no means a small place, and practically the first thing the company did was to extend food covers from just the Bistro out into the pub and then into the former residents' lounge, probably more than doubling the number of lunchtime and evening covers for an already stretched kitchen to cater for. Then, in their infinite business wisdom, the company's management [there's a non sequitur for you] cut the staffing down to the bare minimum it could, multitasked all of the poor buggers and now expects them to effectively run the business for them. Same old shit.

I don't blame the staff, particularly the one young woman who seems to have some industry experience behind her and the kind of personable demeanour requisite of the hospitality trade. I blame the faceless corporate manipulators who think that they understand the businesses they buy up by the bucketload for their fucking portfolios. There are two golden rules in hospitality. Number One: look after your customers' every need with timely diligence and politeness. Number Two: look after and treat your staff as you would like to be treated yourself, otherwise anarchy and bad shit happens. These imperatives can and do make the difference between success and failure, and in the case of a place like The Bull you also have to consider the weight of your historical obligations to the local community as well. Well, that's finally off my chest...

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