Originating from the North-West of England, David Greenall MBII has had a remarkable rise up the hospitality ladder during his career. Now the operator of The Howard Arms, alongside his husband Liam, in Glossop town centre, David has developed the venue to be bustling during the day and vibrant at night. The BII's Max Burke reports
David Greenall started out in hospitality aged just 17, working part-time as a glass collector while still a student. As is the case for so many who are successful in our industry, being immersed in the pub environment from an early age, lit the spark in David that saw him eventually go on to build a career as a publican – although his journey was not linear. After departing for Edge Hill University and completing an undergraduate degree in Business, Management and Marketing, David returned home to Blackburn and hospitality, working in a social club before following one of his co-workers to a company called Last Orders. After various operator and hospitality-based roles at a number of sites around the North-West, including Glossop where David met his now-husband, Liam, the pair found their pub - The Howard Arms.
“I said to Liam, while we were working under previous regimes: Why are we working and doing this for other people? Why are we making other people money when we can just do it ourselves?” Liam did not need any encouragement, so they took over The Howard Arms on a Tenancy at Will in March 2016, with Enterprise Inns (now the Stonegate Group) before signing a full five-year agreement in June of that year.
David and Liam began with just the three staff they had inherited, now extended to the 10 staff they employ today. The local favourite shows plenty of sport for its regulars, and they have expanded their offering from one TV to seven in a venue that isn’t massive, by David’s own admission. “We had to do a lot of the work ourselves to build and extend the business. We were originally taking peanuts but have built it to where it is now, where it is doing outstandingly well.”
Located in the town centre of Glossop and near to the station, The Howard Arms is not short of competition with a JD Wetherspoons and managed houses from other pub companies located nearby. This means David can leave no stone unturned when trying to outshine his competitors. Although he confesses that he might charge more than those nearby, he explains that a customer’s experience in his pub makes the prices almost immaterial.
“I always think if you make sure the basics are right, it’s clean, tidy, the staff are right and the offering is right, people forget all about the price. You can go elsewhere and pay £2.35 for a pint or come to mine and get it for £3.60. You’re paying that extra pound, but we’ve got Sky TV, music, a friendly environment, and familiar faces behind the bar.”
David’s regulars are his bread and butter, with many elderly customers visiting during the day to catch the horse racing, while the younger 18–21-year-olds party until 2am on a Friday and Saturday night. Although both will have different experiences at The Howard Arms, it is important that the two groups come away from the pub with the same feeling. “The way I look at it, those 18-21-year-olds are your next generation of teatime drinkers in 20-30 years’ time.”
David confesses that the first 18 months of his tenure at The Howard Arms were challenging. The venue they inherited was dark, dingy and in need of a big clean-up. After getting his feet under the table and showing Stonegate that the business was viable and doing well, they both invested into the pub. “We both put joint CapEx in and did a refurb on it, brightened it up and made it look smarter. It made our business then go even further.”In addition to this, last year The Howard Arms had a refurbishment of the toilets, something David feels strongly about, mentioning how him and his partner Liam are always looking at the cleanliness of other venues when they are visiting elsewhere in their down time. Since the installation of the new toilets, they have been getting rave reviews from customers.
Social media and keeping up with the trends are key facets of how David runs his business. Darts has always been an important part of many pubs, but with the craze of the sport at the beginning of this year, David was quick to pounce. He set up a darts tournament taking place every Tuesday, with 32 players taking part over seven weeks. Thanks to connections with one of his staff, they were able to get professional darts player and current World Matchplay Champion, Nathan Aspinall, down to The Howard Arms to play in the final. David adds that the tournament has done wonders for his midweek takings, with plans in place to do another in September this year.
In order to ensure that his customers are aware of what’s going on at The Howard Arms, David says that social media and promotion is key to these events getting the recognition they deserve, but he adds that customers do not need to be overloaded with information.
“If I’m not going to read that, my customer isn’t going to read that, if something is too long then people will just scroll past it. That being said, I’m a strong believer that you should have a strong rhythm of the week. People should know what you’re doing, week in, week out.”
With regards to their menu offering, The Howard Arms is fully wet-led and has 13 draught products on the bar. The fact they sell at least two barrels of each product every week, means that David doesn’t feel inclined to change his menu frequently. Price increases are limited to an annual basis, but David insists his customers are happy to pay a slight premium based on what they’re getting back. “If someone is paying a good price for something and a customer is happy and can see you’re reinvesting in things like toilets, sound systems, outside areas, then people appreciate it.”
When quizzed on the importance of his BII membership, David cannot speak highly enough of how it helps him on a regular basis, adding that it is a must for anyone starting out in hospitality.
“After seeing what the BII offers with the website and everything else, I would definitely recommend it. I’ve just built all of my contracts with the Staff Contract Builder, and I check the Trusted Partner page frequently. If anyone is new to the pub business, the BII is the way forward.”
David’s rise from a glass collector to an experienced publican emphasises everything that is great about the hospitality industry, demonstrating that what you might think is a part-time role can evolve into a career for life.