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About Us
Following in his parents' footsteps, John McGowan has built up a
thriving group of London Irish pubs. Seth Linder reports
'I swore,' says John McGowan with a smile, 'that I would never get
into the pub game.' It was always going to be an uphill battle. His
parents, father from Co Mayo, mother from Co Cork, are renowned
among London's Irish community for the quality of the chain of pubs
they still run, in one of which, 36 years ago, John himself was
born. Though he held out for a while, initially going into the
construction business, John eventually succumbed to the inevitable
in 1992, converting the office of his construction company in
Cricklewood, north-west London, into his first pub. Nine years
later, he has 14 Irish pubs and five non-Irish outlets.
Perhaps the secret of John's success has been his ability to tap
into all sections of the sizeable north-west London Irish community
that is the heartland of his empire. His first pub, The Welcome Inn,
was an instant success with the Irish construction workers he knew
from his previous business and, like all his Irish pubs, it has a
strong west-of-Ireland character (as a child, John spent every
summer in Mayo). 'The Irish lads wanted it to feel like home: dark
windows, Mayo and Galway girls behind the bar, lots of humour and
craic, session music, plus excellent Guinness and Irish whiskeys.'
Within a month, John had opened his next outlet, the Hole in the
Wall (now the St James's Gate) - a converted bank, just down the
road. 'Banks,' he says, 'make ideal pubs. Lots of character, high
ceilings and always a |
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'prominent position on the street.
Initially with finance from the Bank of Ireland, latterly through
the Scottish Courage brewery, John quickly expanded, still largely
attracting an older, predominantly male, clientele. In 1996,
however, following consultation with Guinness UDV, he added four
Irish Pub Concept (IPC) pubs to his existing ten Irish bars. 'I
wanted something more female-friendly,' he says, 'with a brighter
and more colourful look. In the other pubs, the older generation of
Irish drinkers weren't bringing in the younger generation. Now, in
those four pubs, we get both markets and also many English customers
looking for the craic. The ratio of women to men is about 60:40, so
it's working.'
Apart from design, the main differences in the four IPC pubs-
Clery's Clock, The James Joyce, Ceili on the Green and St James's
Gate- are the introduction of branded uniforms, the presentation of
pints and a more rounded drinks portfolio. Jack Daniels, Budweiser
and Smirnoff Ice, for instance, are big sellers, and eight out of
ten pints of Guinness sold are Extra Cold. The increase of spirit
measures from 25ml to 35ml-which gives the perception of better
value to the customer and better margins to the publican- has proved
popular. 'The pubs have much broader appeal now,' John says.
'Customers stay longer, and even hold their parties with us.'
The food offering in new customers, John believes. 'An Irish food
company supplies us with ready-made Irish foods, such as mussels in
sauce. All our food has a strong Irish identity operating in areas
with such a large Irish community, it's easy to source Irish food.'
Soda bread supplied by John's mother-in-law, and the Irish
breakfast, served from 9am onwards, has proved a major attraction.
Session music remains popular. 'Within Irish communities, you'll
always find someone who can play.' John says,' and we usually get
four or five lads playing for drinks, and that feeds the craic.' The
main music attractions at the IPC pubs are rock bands. 'The younger
market are looking for bands playing Irish rock music. We have one
band that brings in about 500 people a night. It's like a club, but
one that doesn't charge for entrance.' The big TV screens are
another big draw - at least two per pub, so they can show a live
soccer and GAA game simultaneously if there's a clash.
All McGowan's landlords are recruited from Ireland, which John
believes builds loyalty. 'The idea is that they bring their culture
with them and immerse themselves in the pub, getting to know the
customers over a period of time; they don't hop from one pub to
another as they might if recruited locally.' Currently, 65 of his 90
staff are from Ireland, the rest from all over the world where John
regularly recruits. What John looks for most of all when recruiting
is personality and a good rapport with customers. All his bars are
facing the front door for a purpose. 'If the person behind the bar
isn't facing the customer as they come in, to welcome them and ask
what they are having, the Irish pub doesn't work,' he says.
As the business has developed, John has had to increase his
infrastructure. Two area managers, both from Co Cork, have taken
some of the workload off him, allowing him to explore the
possibility of developing new sites (he's soon to open his fifth IPC
pub just outside London), though he still keeps a close eye on his
existing pubs, visiting each outlet at least once a week, checking
on staffing and other issues. The main benefit of having a group
lies in centrally ordered food and drink and the ability to move
resources around the pubs as need arises (no pub is more than a mile
and a half from its nearest neighbour).
You don't build a pub empire like McGowan's without keeping a keen
eye on contemporary trends and constantly evaluating standards and
performance. In September last year, John attended the Great Britain
launch of the Shaping Success Together programme, a Guinness UDV
initiative to help keep Irish Pub Concept pubs ahead of the
competition and has since become a participant in the programme.
Among the areas that the Guinness UDV research identified as vital
in attracting and retaining new customers, particularly women, were
air quality and cleanliness. John agreed to a trial period at
Clery's Clock to monitor whether the installation of air cleaning
equipment and new cleaning products would make a difference.
'You have to be constantly looking for ways to improve your
business,' he says, 'and there is no question that the successful
Irish pub today must be attractive to women and the younger
generation of drinker. The cleaning products service [from Diversey
Lever], is achieving high standards,' John says, 'but with a reduced
cost. As the products are dispensed in measured pours and not free
pour, we are cutting down on waste.' John has now rolled out the
products in all of his outlets. 'The initial installation is
expensive but you save in the long term; I would expect a total
saving of 20 per cent.'
'The successful Irish pub must be attractive to women and the
younger generation'
Since Honeywell installed an electrostatic air cleaner and Xpelair
ventilation fans at Clery's Clock, John has seen a very positive
reaction from customers and staff, and turnover at the pub has gone
up 22 per cent.' A smoky atmosphere is very off-putting and it makes
it much harder to keep customers through the evening,' John says.
'There is a very noticeable difference in air quality now and no
problem at all with tobacco smoke. We are definitely getting more
women coming in and they are staying longer. I'm installing the air
cleaners in all my outlets. You need just a 2 percent growth to pay
for installation.' John was also very impressed with the
demonstration on preparing and presenting drinks at the Guinness UDV
event. 'It wasn't just the perfect pour for Guinness, it showed what
a difference a properly prepared Gordon's and tonic or Smirnoff can
make, and how bar staff can be chatting to the customer at the same
time.'
Delighted with the way business is going, especially with his IPC
pubs, John has plans to open at least another five pubs before
exploring other areas of the concept. John is celebrating ten years
since his first pub opened with a cut-price drinks promotion that
lasts until St Patrick's Day and is in no doubt that he will be
celebrating in another ten years' time. For the future, he believes
that keeping track of changing trends within the youth market,
retaining his appeal to different generations and keeping his pubs
attractive to women are the main challenges. 'Today, younger people
want brighter, more open pubs, good food, quality drink products and
a clean environment. But the Irish personality remains the most
important thing. In ten years' time, whatever the other trends may
be, the Irish craic will still be with us.' |
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