For a few weeks some years back, I worked in Blackfriars and would walk to Holborn tube as my route home because it took me past The Seven Stars in Carey Street, behind the Royal Courts of Justice. After only a couple of nights of stop-offs in this lovely compact pub, the landlady had named me “the man with the FT”, as I would invariably be carrying a copy of the paper.

The pub’s landlady/owner is the legendary Roxy Beaujolais, a punchy character who has over the years created a unique venue. With a nickname, it felt like I’d been welcomed into the fold by The Seven Stars’ main star. There is no doubt it is a wonderfully historical pub, but that doesn’t keep the regulars regular. It’s the people behind our bars who are the real draw.

My family often joke that I always seem to know the people serving us in the pubs and restaurants that we visit. It’s not because I’m out every night of the week (although I try my best), it’s because I typically like to frequent those places where I’ve got to know the owners/managers or landlord/landlady. It is these types who care about their customers, and they will have fully engaged with me when I’ve visited.

Whenever I’m in Soho, I try to pop into the Coach & Horses, where Ali Ross oversees one of London’s most famous pubs. It would be so easy for this place to be run as a tourist-driven venue – for non-returners – but it is the opposite. Ross is a great presence at the pub who ensures there is a welcome for all-comers – regulars and tourists alike. Proof of her methods can be seen in her currently holding The Griffin Trophy – awarded by Fuller’s to its pub of the year from its 330-plus venues. And she has won it twice at different venues.

She follows in the footsteps of another great Soho landlady, Lesley Lewis, who has been running the French House for more than 30 years. Testament to her ability to welcome customers is the fact she reckons 80% of her drinkers are regulars, despite it being on the tourist trail. 

Knowing your customers is certainly an art, and Mark Crowther, chair of Portobello Pub Company, recalls a strategy called the 100 Club at one of his former employers, whereby the manager had to know the names of 100 customers and a detail about each of them. For the most engaged managers, there was also a 200 Club.

As pub companies have come under pressure, the ability to attract the most capable managers and landlords/landladies has undoubtedly become a greater challenge. It’s been the same for the front-of-house at restaurants, where the career maître d’ has become a rare beast nowadays. Since chefs became the focus of attention, the role of the key relationship driver on the restaurant floor has been diminished. 

I can recall being served by front-of-house legends including Silvano Giraldin at Le Gavroche, Fred Sirieix at Galvin at Windows, Jean-Claude Breton at Gordon Ramsay and Elena Salvoni at Elena’s Etoile. The art of the maître d’ seems to have almost died out, but maybe we are seeing a return to service, fun and hospitality being a key part of dining out rather than it all being about the food.

Front-of-house maestro Jeremy King is rolling out his renowned brand of hospitality across his various new London venues, and he has been joined by Martin Kuczmarski, who has created runaway winners The Dover, Martino’s and very recently The Dover Street Counter, which are all based around the joy of slick front-of-house service. Other notables include Daniel Crump, proprietor of The Greyhound in Beaconsfield, who is a front-of-house whirlwind in the industry.

The need to give a richer experience for customers has also been identified by the large hospitality brands across quick service restaurants (QSR) and casual dining, as the process has arguably been too focused on speed and ease in recent years. This can lead to a lack of brand identity and a weak relationship with the customers.

Dane Mathews, chief digital and technology officer at Taco Bell, has recognised the issue. He said: “There is no way I can make a consumer experience memorable with a bunch of screens and artificial intelligence. They’ll be better, but I don’t know if they’ll necessarily be memorable.” He’s identified that it’s ultimately the people on the front line that make the difference. Assisting him is the company’s loyalty programme, which is increasingly being used as a tool for helping businesses with more transient workforces and less engaged customers to leverage some personality into the mix.

Whether it is through employees using a loyalty programme in QSR brands, maître d’s returning to the fold in restaurants or the welcoming embrace of owners/managers in pubs, it is these elements that are fundamental to driving frequency. Nothing new really in the fact that it continues to be all about the people.

Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider

This piece was originally published on Propel Info where Glynn Davis writes a regular Friday opinion piece. Beer Insider would like to thank Propel for allowing the reproduction of this column.