With Halloween now only a month away, we’re encouraging our landlords to start thinking of some frightfully good ways to draw in customers at what can be a very prosperous time of year.

Why not throw a fancy dress party with Halloween themed food and whip up your very own ‘witches brew’? You could even transform your pub into a haunted house for the night.

Or, if you’d rather keep things a little more low-key, you could try some spooky themed drinks offers, or community pubs could offer to act as a base for trick or treaters.

The Publican has recently highlighted the fact that serving hot drinks in your pub can really boost profits – particularly during the colder months of the year.

This year’s Publican Market Report found that 40 per cent of publicans agree that tea and coffee are increasingly important to trade. By selling hot drinks alongside the usual offerings, licensees can add another string to their bow while taking advantage of the high profit margin that comes with hot drinks.

Combine a varied coffee offering with free wi-fi access and you could attract a whole new customer base to your pub; see the full article on the Publican website for further hints and tips. 

Admiral Taverns’ pubs with a strong food offering should think about entering themselves into the upcoming Great British Pub Food Awards 2011.

A shortlist of finalists will be selected following a paper judging by a panel of industry experts, and successful finalists are then invited to battle it out at category cook-offs which will take place in January. Categories include Young Pub Chef, Seafood, Curry, Pie and Fish & Chips.

To register for an entry form, contact Sue Selby on sue.selby@william-reed.co.uk or call 01293 610238. For more information, see the Great British Pub Food Awards website.

If you’d like to take on a new challenge before the end of the year, then why not come along to one of our open days? We’re always on the look out for new landlords and you might be just the type of person we’re after.

We’ve got a series of open days going on over the next few months, where you can find out more about what it takes to become an Admiral Taverns landlord.

We’ll be visiting Bristol, Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester and London between now and the end of the year – for more information, view our full open day schedule and let us know you’re coming along to get your Admiral Taverns goody bag on the day.

Admiral Taverns landlord Myra Byett, who has been the landlord of the Nag’s Head Inn in Yorkley, Gloucestershire for the past 27 years, is encouraging others to get behind the bar.

“The industry is very different now to when I first started but I’m still enjoying it and we’re still trading well,” said Myra.

“Being a landlord can be a rewarding career if you have a passion for pubs and you know what your customers want. I always make an effort to socialise with the customers and focus on providing good service, which has kept the business strong over the years.”

If you’d like to find out more about the job satisfaction that comes with being an Admiral Taverns landlord, contact our recruitment team. 

With Freshers Week on the horizon, we’re reminding our landlords with pubs near campuses that the students’ return could bring in lots of extra custom.

The Morning Advertiser has put together a great guide for landlords on attracting students without alienating other customers. Tips include offering real ale - surprisingly popular with the student market- goodie bags and coffee and running open mic nights to attract this lucrative customer base.

Read the article for more tips on preparing your pub for the influx.

With autumn fast approaching, our landlords need to start thinking about indoor based activities that will keep their customers coming back on a regular basis.

Play The Gamer, the UK's first national live console gaming league, offers landlords the opportunity to host gaming nights at their pub in order to boost drinks sales.

The gaming nights will be promoted in GAME stores, and could bring in a whole new customer base to your pub.

To find out more or sign up, visit the Play The Gamer website.