How Service and Culture Built a Pub Empire – with Hamish Stoddart

Peach Pubs began in 2002 with a simple vision: to create gastro pubs that combined fantastic food with outstanding service. Starting with a single tenancy – the Rose & Crown – the founders wanted to build a scalable business that felt personal and welcoming. 

Hamish admits he wasn’t a typical industry insider. “I pulled my first pint at 38,” he says. But his passion for service and culture drove the business forward. From day one, Peach focused on shared ownership, giving general managers equity and encouraging every team member to feel like they owned the pub. This sense of pride became the foundation for exceptional guest experiences. 

Many businesses talk about values, but few make them stick. Peach Pubs embedded its purpose—“Making Life Peachy”—into every aspect of operations. For 15 years, the team lived by a set of values that weren’t just words on a wall. They were front-of-mind every day. Hamish explains: “We taught ourselves to create a structure around the values so people could remember and live them. We even worked with a world-class memory champion to help staff recall them.” 

This commitment meant that even short-term team members could recite the values and share stories about how they applied them. The result? Guests walked into a Peach pub and felt instantly welcomed—because the team knew why they were there and what they stood for. 

Building a culture of great service doesn’t happen overnight. Here are Hamish’s top tips: 

• Define Your Purpose and Values Clearly – make sure everyone knows why they’re in the building. A strong purpose creates alignment and motivation.
• Invest in Training and Reinforcement – don’t just announce values – embed them. Use creative techniques to make them memorable and actionable.
• Create Joy Internally – hospitality is about passing joy to guests. That only happens when your team feels valued and enjoys their work.
• Commit Time and Resources – culture requires meetings, training, and leadership involvement. It’s an investment that pays off in loyalty and reputation.

While service is fundamental, Hamish reminds us that success in hospitality requires more than smiles and great food. Finance, operations, and leadership all play a role. “You spin a lot of plates in this game,” he says. But if you get culture right in the first few years, it becomes easier to maintain – and harder for competitors to replicate. 

At its heart, hospitality is about creating moments of joy. “You pass joy on,” Hamish says, “but only if you’re enjoying yourself and know why you’re there.” When every team member shares that sense of purpose, guests feel it – and that’s what keeps them coming back.