Greene King is partnering with Best Bar None to deliver best practice in customer and team members’ safety and welfare across its 1,600 managed pubs and sees the pub operator and the national Best Bar None team working together to accredit all, or part, of the operator’s estate.
The new multi-site accreditation scheme, the first issued by Best Bar None, covers Greene King’s nationwide managed pub estate. They worked closely with Best Bar None to develop the new multi-site operator model which allows operators to become accredited even if they are not situated in one of the 54 towns and cities running a Best Bar None scheme through a local partnership.
Best Bar None, the Home Office backed scheme, is recognised for identifying well-run licensed premises with a strong focus on venue management, staff training and care, customer safety and welfare and customer services and the community.
Commenting on the new accreditation, Assad Malic, chief communications and sustainability officer at Greene King, said, “We want everyone to be able to socialise safely in our pubs and by working with Best Bar None this national accreditation offers customers that added reassurance. Ensuring our pubs are welcoming and safe for all our customers and our teams is a responsibility which we take very seriously. We are pleased to lead the way with this, and it will be good for the whole industry as it is rolled out further.”
The national Best Bar None chairman, Lord Smith of Hindhead, Philip Smith added, “We are delighted to have developed this with Greene King and we are confident that the many benefits of venues becoming accredited across an entire business will be an incentive for other multiple operators to follow suit.
“The scheme has the added benefit of providing pub, club and bar operators with tangible evidence to demonstrate their commitment to, and investment in, customer and staff wellbeing and safety.”
In addition to the operational benefits, research shows that customers like the reassurance of knowing a venue is committed to the wellbeing of their customers and staff – 49% of adults are more likely to visit a venue that has measures to improve women’s safety, according to a September 2022 YouGov survey.
Full accreditation of all Greene King’s 1,600 managed house venues is on track to be completed by spring next year.