Running a hospitality venue can come with its fair share of hiccups along the way, both front and back of house, and so it’s no surprise that companies have looked to introduce services that might make what can be a pretty challenging job just a little bit easier.
Take dispense, for example. It’s an essential facet of any operation that sells draught products, and so when things go wrong – particularly at a busy time – it can be disastrous for the venue.
Ross McCardel of Abergas said when the company – which supplies dispense gas to the trade – was founded over 20 years ago it was specifically to provide what the trade needed from a gas supplier, particularly around service, quality and price.
“Abergas took on board all of these aspects as a supplier and today are reaping the rewards and continue to provide for over 1500 customers within the hospitality sector,” said McCardel.
“It has not been an easy road, with new competitors, government-led increases to costs, world supply issues within the supply chain and a declining market.
“Rogue companies who fill cylinders that do not belong to them are doing so illegally”
“Despite these factors our robust team continues to lead the free-trade sector by providing an unrivalled reliable service, offering a price guarantee to all our customers and a flexible delivery and payment option that none of our competitors can match.”
And McCardel had some straight-talking advice for licensees looking for a reliable gas supplier.
He said: “With regards to outlets and their staff, safety should always be the main priority.
“Gas cylinders should be tested and filled by the companies that own said cylinders – taking shortcuts by having out-of-test cylinders filled can potentially leave staff at risk.
“Rogue companies who fill cylinders that do not belong to them are doing so illegally. They can save a customer money as they don’t have any cost other than the product itself – cylinder, valve, valve guard etc have all been paid by the cylinder owner.
“However tempting to reduce costs, always use a reputable gas company. Safety first.”
It isn’t just in the cellar that service providers can make a real difference to an operator as well as a venue’s customers.
On the technology side, innovation continues apace, with all manner of software and apps now available to operators to help make running their venue a little smoother.
Hop Software, for example, provides a hospitality management programme for accommodation businesses that allows users to manage a range of different areas including revenue, reservations and housekeeping.
However, having established the core property management programme, the company realised there was a gap in the market for smaller operators.
A spokesman for the business said: “What we found, from the perspective of pubs who have rooms, is that publicans we spoke to realised that they are paying, in some cases sizeable monthly fees, for systems with lots of functionality they don’t use, or will ever use.
“These are straitened times for pubs, with increasing costs, so those we spoke to were quite resentful at effectively having to pay the same prices as, say, a large hotel chain when all they wanted to do was sell some rooms each week on top of bar/food takings.
“It was really this listening journey which led to Hop developing Hoplite, specifically for pubs with rooms.”
The spokesman said there are several things operators should consider when reviewing their software needs.
“So, our advice would be for publicans with rooms to look at the systems they are using, look at the monthly costs and any other costs associated with bookings (does the system charge a fee per booking?) and assess how much of that system they are actually using, day-to-day,” he said.
“Also, is it easy enough for staff to use, when they are changing over shift or does it require training or a manager to operate it?
“If the answer to that is yes, then they should re-assess.”
In 2026 it’s almost impossible to reference technology without touching on AI, and it’s something pub company Star Pubs & Bars has been encouraging licensees to look into.
The company’s head of training, Tracy Bickerdike, said a new course provided by the company aims to demystify the technology and help publicans apply it to their businesses.
“It’s already having a big impact back-of-house in many early adopters’ pubs and will play a more prominent role front of house as people get more familiar with it,” said Bickerdike.
“Licensees tend to be time poor. AI is like a virtual assistant that can help with essential daily tasks, freeing them up to focus on developing and driving their businesses.
“Social media is a good place for publicans to build up their confidence with AI.
“Licensees tend to be time-poor. AI is like an assistant that can help with daily tasks.”
“We’ve launched an online marketing course, ‘AI for Publicans’, to all our pubs and they’re reporting it slashes the time they spend on planning, writing and scheduling social media posts from three or four hours to 30 minutes a week.
“Another obvious area where AI is a game changer is rostering. Analysing sales patterns manually takes hours. AI tools that bolt onto a pub’s existing EPOS system can do the same job in minutes, saving thousands of pounds a year on staffing.”
However, Bickerdike also warned that AI isn’t a push-button solution, and still requires the licensee to be engaged.
“For anyone concerned about losing control or being fed content that is obviously AI-generated, remember that AI is like an assistant that works for you. It will draft posts and responses to customer reviews in seconds. You can review and tweak content before using it. It’s important to follow the three second rule. Does the copy sound like a natural voice? Is it 100% accurate? Would I be proud if a regular saw it? Once you start using an AI tool on a regular basis, it’ll learn your style and generate copy that follows it.”
