Find out about the Best Pub Employer (up to 500 employees) finalists

The finalists are:

Barons Pub Company​

Surrey-based Barons Pub Company set up its Barons Training Academy after the pandemic, which has become more structured as the years have gone by.

Its success is borne out by the fact its retention rate is a massive 92% while 76 internal staff members were given promotions within the business last year.

After winning this category last year​ in the Publican Awards, Barons has evolved its online learning platform Nimble, which has led to advances throughout the training system all-round including induction learning turning into ‘Barons Building Blocks’ that offer lots of different subjects making up each ‘block’ that make it easily understandable for everyone.

Learning can even develop to a degree-level qualification.

Perks such as an offer that began as staff members being allowed 50% off at Barons sites for up to six people once a month has developed to be as many times as they per month.

Anglian Country Inns​

Anglian Country Inns (ACI) operates nine sites from its Hertfordshire headquarters, employing 300 full-time staff and 120 in part-time roles.

Training is paramount to the business but it remains flexible on the way it does so because everyone learns in different ways and at different speeds.

Its four-tiered training programme means new starters get a basic grounding and builds up, through the levels, to ensure general managers and chefs are still learning after reaching the top of the chain.

Incentives are key in hospitality and ACI pays more than the minimum wage to ensure staff remain and there are also plenty of bonuses such ‘happy cheques’, a discount scheme for dining and drinking in any of its sites and any mention of particular member of staff in reviews will see employees benefit financially.

Staff are monitored, not just for training or for their thoughts, but so their mental health can be assessed.

Perks are plentiful and there’s flexibility on working hours and staff retention remains high.

Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars​

The great relationship between staff members and owners Tim and Mary Bird at Cheshire Cat Pubs & Inns is clear to see when you step into one of its sites.

Training is key the north-west pub company and each of its seven sites has a ‘champion’ for food, beer, wine and spirits.

Cheshire Cat allows staff to be as involved as they want to be and although the champions programme only began last year, it will be refreshed regularly.

There’s plenty of training available, including the ‘chef academy’ on-the-job learning that also permits staff to go on educational trips with suppliers, WSET wine courses, workshops plus there are personal development programmes that can lead to staff becoming all-rounders in the business.

Milestone awards such as long service or promotions have a personal touch to them from the owners because they are bespoke and dig into what that member of staff really likes and will be given from trips to beer brewers to hospitality football tickets.