JD Wetherspoon PLC (LSE:JDW) and The Restaurant Group PLC (LSE:RTN) (TRG) are some of Britain’s top pub operators, according to the CGA.
The new PubTrack service looks at insights from around 10,000 consumers across the UK and helps rank pub operators based on satisfaction and the likelihood to revisit and recommend their venues.
The Restaurant Group’s pub firm Brunning & Price came in top of the rankings ahead of family-owned companies McMullen & Sons and Brakspear.
TRG’s pub brand which owns more than 80 sites also ranked top for net promoter score, a metric which identifies the best operators people would recommend.
Another indicator measured by PubTrack is a business’ value for money and it is little surprise that budget pub group JD Wetherspoon took the crown on this ranking.
In fact, the listed pub company even ranked second for the likelihood to revisit, only behind Brunning & Price and McMullen & Sons.
CGA client business partner, Danielle Rowlands, has welcomed the launch of PubTrack arguing the service will offer operators the “most comprehensive and accurate suite of metrics ever seen in Britain.”
Rowlands said: “With the pub market so competitive, and spending under such pressure, it’s never been more important to know precisely what guests want, and PubTrack is here to help every pub business get even better.”
The rankings may be particularly warming to the ears of TRG’s board, having faced criticism from numerous activist investors in 2023.
Prior to the Wagamama owner’s AGM, several shareholders expressed concerns about the leadership, in particular the group’s remuneration policy.
Some of the activist investors had called for TRG to spin off all its businesses bar Wagamama, but today’s revelation might ease the C-suite worries about its non-core brands.