Since winning the Licensee of the Year Award (LOYA) in June 2024 my life has been an incredible whirlwind. I’ve been given so many opportunities and after reflecting back, I cannot believe how much I’ve done. The events I have been to and the experiences I’ve had, there’s so many standout moments! The biggest one for me was taking on the Pedalling To Pubs bike ride, alongside Steve Alton CBII and 60 other riders from the hospitality industry. We cycled around the ‘rolling hills’ (never believe a word Steve Alton says, when it comes to bike rides!) of the Lake District, raising money for two great trade-related charities, Only A Pavement Away and the LTC.
As well as raising money for charity, there was the added bonus of networking and generating contacts. I’ve since reached out to BII Trusted Partner’s Polaris Elements and T hatcher’s Cider, the ride’s sponsors.
I had thought that once the 2025 LOYA winners had been announced that my part would be over, but having been invited to judge this year and being named as a BII Ambassador at the Summer Event, I feel I am firmly part of the BII family.
I love Molly, Natalie, Hannah and all the team — I always joke that Steve is my hospitality Dad and Mike Clist CBII is my hospitality Grandad.
Before winning the Best Pub to Watch Sport at the Great British Pub Awards in 2023 and my LOYA journey, I’d been in my Burnley bubble for the past decade. Entering these national awards encouraged me to answer many diverse questions, and I got to learn so much about myself and my business. I feel I have grown as an individual and been pushed out of my comfort zone.
I was never big on public speaking and still can’t believe I gave a speech after winning my BII award that I hadn’t prepped for — because I didn’t think I stood any chance of winning.
I’d say I suffer from imposter syndrome, but as a winner or a finalist, you begin to find that self confidence and accept you’re good at what you do and deserve this spotlight.
I have made sure that every hospitality event I attend, I come away with ‘golden nuggets’, whether it be a piece of advice, a business card or an idea. Thanks to the BII’s Trusted Partners, I’ve also signed a new deal with Clover, which has seen the business saving hundreds of pounds in card fees. I’ve also secured better deals for the pub, through negotiations with suppliers, including Heineken and Molson Coors — and winning LOYA has played a huge part in these negotiations.
Last year we partnered with a local mental health organisation, Six Connections. My Senior Team, Matt and Jordan completed a mental health first aid training course, while Jadene (Manager) and Kae-Lei (Assistant Manager) are currently underway with theirs. All my staff have all benefitted from doing more qualifications through the BII, as well as use of the Hospitality Rewards app, getting to attend trade shows and receiving free hospitality tickets for live sporting events.
With Mike Dove MBII and Tommy Higgs as the new LOYA winners, I feel I can get some time back for myself. I had found myself saying yes to everything — from media interviews, to speaking at conferences and trade events, attending meetings in Parliament and being a voice for hospitality. I seized every opportunity I possibly could and, as a result, more people than ever before know about my story and The Royal Dyche, as well as shining a positive light on my town. If ever I need something, people are happy to help.
Developing a close relationship with the BII has truly paid off. The pub is also a BII Sustainability Champion too, and I have recently taken things a step further by switching to an electric car and had a charger installed at The Dyche. Mike [Clist] worked with me on my breakeven, as margins have become tighter. You know you’re doing something right if Mike comes to Burnley, not once, but twice!
With prices rising year-on-year, I need to carefully evaluate how much is necessary to cover costs and breakeven. It’s about knowing, for instance, that if I have live music in my outdoor space, I can afford to pay £300 for a band but inside is unaffordable due to the lack of space. I decided to hire a marquee for most of last summer, and now we can have all our events outdoor, such as open deck, jam nights, DJs, etc. I have seen my turnover increase across all these days as a result.
Trying to do things differently and creating more opportunities has seen the business rapidly grow. My GP (for the first six months of the year) is up from 4.42% last year to 17.68% this year.
In August 2024, I applied for a TEN to open at 8am for the Burnley v Blackburn game and was rejected by the police — they saw it as encouraging anti-social behaviour. The last time we had this fixture, we had over 100 people queuing outside in the streets to get in at 9am, so I thought if we opened an hour earlier it would stagger people’s arrival times. So, there I was, appealing the decision in the Town Hall speaking against a police inspector and licensing officer, to multiple councillors — and I won the case! If there had been any chance of football violence or anti-social behaviour, I would never have risked it. I wanted to get people off the street, and there is a 24-hour off-licence opposite the pub and people would be buying cans and drinking on the streets instead. In January, I opened again at 8am for the away fixture and twice again in February for two fixtures away to Preston North End (League and FA Cup) and this has made the biggest impact on trade during the quieter, colder months, giving me a great start to the year.
Another huge bonus, as a LOYA winner, is that you win a free Sky Sports package. As one of the only sports’ bars to win the awards, I’ve really benefitted and have increased the number of Sky boxes we have in the pub, and upgraded to the new Sky Q matrix system — which gives us the platform to show four different things on every screen in the pub. This package has been worth over £3,000 a month to the business, and whenever my invoice came through the post, it was a nice monthly reminder of how much winning LOYA has meant to me and the business — seeing the amount reduced to zero. Local awards remain important to me. Most recently I won the Lancashire Red Rose award for small business and this, a bit like LOYA, has opened many doors locally. There’s business masterclasses and health checks, which have all been provided for free. We also won at The Freshies 2025 for the Hospitality Hotshot award, we were up against some big hitters such as; Blackpool’s Winter Gardens and the Well Being Farm. I was also listed in the Sub36 Awards, which highlights business people to watch in Lancashire aged under 36. And, we are also finalists in the 2026 Lancashire Toursim Awards for Best Pub.
Winning an award not only gives us a lift, but it opens up new opportunities. The Royal Dyche is also part of the Burnley Bondholders scheme, a private/public partnership dedicated to raising the profile of the borough. I’ve got to do a wide range of things from test driving a Porsche to trying out our best local restaurants. I have got to speak to MPs/Government Ministers and cemented a place on Burnley Football Club’s Fan Advisory Board. It has been empowering to know that when I speak on panels at events, people listen to me for advice and guidance.
My business has grown year-onyear, and I’ve invested much back into it. I’ve currently just signed the paperwork to adopt some land on the mile straight of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. This sits directly next door to the pub, it hasn’t cost me anything and I plan on working with the police, local council and Burnley College to make it into something special for our community.
All things considered, if I could offer advice to people in our industry it would be to always forecast and budget wisely. Always try new events and ideas, and brainstorm with the team and other operators. I’ve learned that when you’re working silly hours — you should be earning a decent salary and to always make sure you’re taking pounds, not pennies — and take as many perks as possible!
Life is all about balance, so as I look ahead to the next 12 months, I promise myself (and my wife Steph) that maybe I’ll only say yes to 90% of the things offered. But after recently taking on a new manager, Jadene, who has rejoined us just in time for the new football season, I am looking forward to having more control and time back in my life.
