Case files – Massive Ltd., the accessible little big man of the pub world

 

Massive by name yet customer (and staff) focussed by nature, Massive Ltd. are one of the UK pub world’s up and coming boutique pub groups. With forty pubs and restaurants on the books mainly in the Greater London, Home Counties and South Coast, they may appear to be a minnow in the mighty shoals of their peers, but just take a look at their portfolio. Others might think them a more predatory fish…..

 

Shunning the quantity not quality approach of most major pub groups, Massive have focussed on creating eating and drinking environments that suit particular demographics. These demographics span the spectrum, from trendy twenties, thirties, to family and “city sophisticates”. Their property portfolio is equally eclectic, with listed taverns of old to gleaming chrome temples of high stool fashion.

 

A property portfolio that is a potential Disability Discrimination Act Part 3 minefield.

 

Many of the charities, government organisations and action groups championing the DDA suggest that service organisations have no excuse for not having made provisions for the DDA in time for the latest deadline last October. Its been ten years since the Disability Discrimination Act entered the statute book in 1995.

 

Unlike many of their contemporaries, Massive only really got started in 1995 building their pub and restaurant portfolio so has had less time than many to plan for each stage of the act. Despite this, Massive’s founding principles, driven from the top by Massive’s directors, naturally encompass the spirit of the DDA:

 

 

Like Haymarket Exhibitions, featured in the June Access for Success Newsletter, Massive rapidly understood the potential of disabled patrons within the demographics of the markets they serve, and decided to take direct action.

 

As Managing Director Peter Linacre observed “We’ve created an environment dedicated to serving our customers, to convincing them they want to come back. And that means all our customers”

 

Massive’s first steps were to commission Able Consulting to audit their pub estate and get the hard facts about their accessibility. Rather than randomly sample a selection of their estate, Massive had all their pubs and restaurants access audited by Able Consulting. Because of the character nature of much of their property portfolio it might have been a painful process, however, the results of the audits were encouraging. Yes, there were issues in many of the pubs but there was frequently a common sense accessible solution.

 

 

The access audits also identified the potential difficulties in serving hearing impaired diners at the table and bar in many pubs that have high ambient noise levels. With millions of hearing aid wearers in the UK and therefore lots of potential customers, this is an area no pub chain can afford to neglect.

 

An ideal solution for hearing impaired customers with hearing aids is to provide a hearing induction loop. The induction loop, or loop as they are commonly known, allows the hearing aid wearer to cut out background noise that would also be amplified by their hearing aid and drown out what their table server or bar person was saying.

 

Fixed loops (loops that are hardwired into the counter and security barrier) have been a common sight for some years in many scenarios with security barriers between customers and staff, for example in most banks and building societies and railway station ticket offices.

 

With wide, open serving areas like bars and restaurant tables many traditional fixed loop solutions are often not practical, although they are often the best solution for a function room. The ideal solution for the bar and restaurant is a portable induction loop that can be brought to the customer with a hearing aid.
 

 

Signage at the bar and in the restaurants needs to state that an induction loop is available and a clear notice placed in all menus.

 

Keen to continue to build on their unique pub culture, Massive are thinking ahead and working with Able Consulting to build the accessible service and the DDA into their estate management and acquisition strategy.

 

The importance of having an ongoing strategy for managing the DDA and accessibility cannot be stressed enough (What’s your strategy for ongoing compliance?) and this is recognised by the senior management team.

 

Managing Director Peter Linacre  “Our pubs are directly managed and this gives us a lot more influence over what happens in them on an ongoing basis. We know access solutions are being implemented. We employ our own staff and our training and induction is largely in-house. This means we can be sure our staff are sensitive to DDA issues and serving customers with a wide range of disabilities becomes part of our culture, which is all about great service anyway!”

 

Surveys suggest that the response to the DDA Part 3 from pubs and restaurants is highly variable. Massive are demonstrating through action that they are one of the leaders in the trade not only in providing quality pubs and restaurants, but now in providing an accessible environment for their customers.