When the shuttered Four Sisters pub reopened as The Pocket in Islington with an expansive beer list, I made the short tube trip south for a visit during its opening week. During this early evening jaunt when the pub was particularly quiet, I enquired how things were going to the couple of 20-something’s serving behind the bar, which extended into a general chat about pubs and beer.

These were safe reference points, but things went amiss when I mentioned that I had once interviewed Giles Coren in a pub in Kentish Town. They had no idea who he was, even with my prods of saying he’s The Times’ restaurant critic who has appeared on TV in a series with Sue Perkins. “Sue who?” they asked. I tried the fact he has a sister Victoria, who is also on TV and is married to a comedian. They managed to recall that she fronts a quiz show. Needless to say, I didn’t even bother mentioning Giles’ late father, the writer Alan.

The issue of reference points can be a hazard in hospitality businesses because while the customer gets older, the front-of-house team stay perennially young – invariably in that sub-30-year-old age grouping. Conversations have to be steered down particular paths. It has therefore been refreshing on early weekday visits to my local the Fuller’s-owned Great Northern Railway Tavern, to occasionally be served by a man who, to my calculation, is well over 50 years old.

He has explained that he prefers to work early evening hours on quieter nights of the week, when there is less noise in the pub, which enables him to more clearly hear customer orders over the bar. Despite such hurdles, his presence is very much a positive in the pub, because it helps the team better mirror the broad range of customers it serves. 

Fuller’s is among a growing band of hospitality companies tapping into the older workforce. Fuller’s uses an over-50s digital community, Rest Less, to help it recruit from a demographic that has helped the company push-up its over-50s mix to 12% of its total workforce. Fuller’s is not alone is seeing this figure rise because there has been a 10% increase in older workers – baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 – returning to casual work in the hospitality industry, according to research from Employment Hero.

This makes the sector the third highest employer of over-50s after finance and insurance, which is a positive trend because hospitality, along with retail, has been suffering major challenges recruiting people into the sector. My wife joined Fortnum & Mason six months ago on a part-time basis, and a reasonably flexible arrangement on the days she works. 

Like other older workers, she has the ability to accommodate late rota changes that could be more of an issue for younger employees with other commitments, such as a young family or studying. Another advantage for businesses is the improved retention rates they enjoy with older employees who are far less willing to shift to another employer on a whim, and are also less likely to have the transient living arrangements of youngsters and students. 

A further upside to older workers is their ability to mentor younger members of a team as they invariably bring experience and other life skills to bear. Although relatively new to Fortnum & Mason, my wife has already undertaken a couple of presentations to the rest of the team, calling on skills from previous roles. Such activities can be challenging for younger employees, who also find engaging with customers a tough ask – whether that be on the shop floor or in restaurant and bar environments. To have help on tap from older team members massively contributes to the smoother running of organisations. 

Simon Wilkinson, board director at Evolv Collection and TGI Fridays, encapsulates these upsides when he says: “I’m always a fan of employing older people because, as a general rule, they turn up, are reliable, diligent and have engaging personalities.” 

Let’s hope the hospitality industry will continue to embrace the older worker cohort because there are clearly major upsides to be enjoyed by all parties, and it will also make my life significantly easier when chatting to bar staff who might just know all the members of the Coren family.

Glynn Davis, editor of Retail Insider 

This piece was originally published on Propel Info where Glynn Davis writes a regular Friday opinion piece. Retail Insider would like to thank Propel for allowing the reproduction of this column.