Assistant Pub Manager to Pub Manager, What is Your Career Path?

Published
17 Jan 2020

17 Jan 2020

So, you have been in the hospitality industry for some time and you are looking for the next move after becoming an assistant pub manager. Are you ready for the next step? That’s the big question.

Allow us to offer some gentle words of encouragement and what your career path can develop into from working as an assistant pub manager to a pub manager.

Your Role as an Assistant Pub Manager

So, from working as an assistant pub manager, you will have probably learnt most of the valuable skills needed to step up to a pub management role. So, what are these key responsibilities that you have had?

Here is a list of tasks that you will have been expected to do over the years (of course these are dependent on the establishment you have been working in):

  • Assisting the General Manager / pub manager
  • Evaluating work performance of staff
  • Handling customer complaints
  • Allocating work to team members
  • Assisting with recruitment, training, promotion and performance evaluation
  • Motivating employees
  • Conducting team meetings

You will most likely have been working a full 40-hour week as an assistant pub manager, these hours won’t stop here when you take the big step up to pub manager, that’s for sure! Of course there’s a lot of hard work involved but don’t be put off by this… with this title comes plenty of benefits and you are now one of the main figures to which your juniors will look up to for guidance, leaderships and support.

The next step – you’ve reached your goal of a Pub Manager

So, after being an assistant pub manager for some years, you’ve now stepped up. You’ve earned the title of a pub manager. Being a pub manager requires strong management, commercial and practical skills. You'll have to constantly adapt to ensure that the pub is profitable, pleasant and safe and that it is run in accordance with the law and ethical guidelines. Some pub managers may own the premises, while others are employed by a brewery or pub chain to run the business.

Responsibilities

Public houses differ widely so tasks may vary. Running a small, independent tenancy pub involves different challenges to operating a high profile chain pub.

Some large or lucrative pubs employ an assistant pub manager (which is what you have stepped up from) to help with the day-to-day running of the outlet and so some responsibilities may be delegated to them.

In general, your duties will include:

  • interacting with customers (including serving food and drink) and ensuring that high standards of customer service are maintained
  • taking responsibility for pub safety and security, including recruiting and managing security staff in large or centrally-based pubs
  • making sure you comply with health and safety regulations at all times in the pub, kitchen and other areas
  • organising and advertising entertainment such as live music events, comedy nights, quizzes and karaoke competitions, which may involve researching and recruiting talent
  • running promotional campaigns to market house products
  • collecting and acting on customer feedback to improve the overall running of the venue
  • undertaking regular stock checks, placing orders with suppliers and restocking (which involves physical work)
  • ensuring regular maintenance of the premises, including cleaning and repairs
  • recruiting, training and managing staff, including leading meetings to update and motivate staff
  • monitoring profitability and performance to ensure sales targets are met or exceeded
  • meeting with the area or business manager for the region to assess pub performance and set sales targets
  • maintaining relations with members of the local community, the police and liquor licensing authorities.

So there you have it, the steps to becoming a pub manager from an assistant pub manager and what is involved. Becoming a pub manager is an incredibly rewarding job. Of course the job isn’t shy of hard work but you are now the person whose vision leads the success of the pub itself and seeing the business grow and develop form your leadership and skills surely is a feeling like now other.

Take the plunge; you never know what opportunities could be out there for you. This could be the career that you’ve always been looking for.