BII’s Chief Executive goes back to the floor
16-Dec-2002
BII’s Chief Executive goes back to the floor
The British Institute of Innkeeping’s (BII) chief executive John McNamara went back to the floor this month for a stint behind the bar at Lloyd’s No 1 in Illford, Essex.
During a tough daytime shift in the busy run-up to Christmas, John tried his hand at everything from waiting tables to pulling pints – something he hadn’t done since his student days.
He was even called upon to roll up his sleeves and help unload a beer delivery into the cellar.
“I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but that just goes to show how hard the licensees and staff in this industry really work,” said John.
“The day was a great opportunity for me to see how a busy pub operates and how important the staff are to the whole customer experience. I was especially impressed by the emphasis placed on high standards of hygiene and quality by staff at the pub.
“This is a highly-skilled, people-led industry. Working at Lloyd’s No 1 really brought home to me the fact that licensees and their staff manage a very complex business – handling everything from bookkeeping to changing barrels in the cellar.
“It is more important than ever that pub operators invest in training and career development if they want to attract the kind of quality staff who can meet that tough challenge and become the licensees of the future.” …/more over
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John’s day was organised in conjunction with pub operator JD Wetherspoon, which owns the Lloyds No 1 chain.
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin said: “Wetherspoons is a keen supporter of the BII and it is good to see that the man at the top is happy to get on with the day-to-day business of running a pub. Hopefully his experiences will help BII members.”
John is the second member of the BII’s head office team to go back to the floor. Client Development Director, Mike Wroe also spent a day serving behind the bar at a JD Wetherspoon pub in Milton Keynes in October. ends]
Notes to Editors:
To request a photograph, please call Erica Snedker on 01276 417805 or e-mail erica@bii.org.
The BII is the professional body for the licensed trade. It has around 15,000 members and last year BIIAB processed over 76,000 qualifications. Its mission is to promote high standards of professionalism throughout the licensed retail sector and to provide information, skills and qualifications to help members run successful businesses.
| ref | BII/ES/PR0628 |
| erica@bii.org | |
| Contact | For more information, please contact Caroline Nodder, the BII’s corporate communications manager, on 01276 417 838 or 07855 841 216 or email carolinen@bii.org. |
