A new landlord? A study of the changing demands on the UK public house manager

Twenty years ago, the public house manager was not normally a well-paid and responsible job. However, the results of the Beer Orders, increased competition for leisure spending and the growing demands for different types of pubs have created a new type of managed outlet, which is large and offers a range of attractions other than beer. Profitability for these large volume pubs is essential, with the emphasis moving to customer satisfaction to ensure repeat business. The owners are careful to ensure that these pubs are run in the most efficient way possible, so the managers of today are very different from those of yesterday. This paper identifies the changes and their causes.