What are your thoughts on the future of pubs/restaurants etc?

The service has been dire in many pubs/restaurants since the end of the pandemic. 40 minutes wait for food is quite common. And the staff just seem uninterested in serving customers. I've even had three staff have a public argument over who serves and who's break it is. Oh, and one girl even asked me if I wanted ice in my beer.
 
arknor said:
to many places expecting to pay minimum wage so the chefs drive for ubereats etc instead for better money and easier jobs
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Problem is though if the business is struggling due to increasing costs, as most are at the moment, then you cant pay top dollar for a good Chef.

The Landlord for my "local" back in my home town, had to fire his chef as she was a raging alchy and kept ******* up but he only had her because he couldnt find anyone else. He's spent 4 months now looking for a Chef but cant find anyone and he isn't in a position to offer a generous wage as covid killed his trade and its never really recovered. Last time I was back visiting family i joked to him i could cook considerably better than his previous chef (which having tasted her food is true) and he seriously offered to let me into the kitchen to see what i could do which took me back a little as i thought he was joking lol
 
Zenduri said:
Problem is though if the business is struggling due to increasing costs, as most are at the moment, then you cant pay top dollar for a good Chef.

The Landlord for my "local" back in my home town, had to fire his chef as she was a raging alchy and kept ******* up but he only had her because he couldnt find anyone else and hes spent 4 months now looking for a Chef but cant find anyone and he isn't in a position to offer a generous wage as covid killed his trade and its never really recovered. Last time I was back visiting family i joked to him i could cook considerably better than his previous chef (which having tasted her food is true) and he seriously offered to let me into the kitchen to see what i could do which took me back a little as i thought he was joking lol
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Become new age/vegan and only serve salads!!
 
Stretch said:
The service has been dire in many pubs/restaurants since the end of the pandemic. 40 minutes wait for food is quite common. And the staff just seem reluctant to serve customers. I've even had thee staff have a public argument over who serve and who's break it is. Oh, and one girl even asked me if I wanted ice in my beer.
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It did and still is suffering from when many Eastern Europeans went home and it seems many English
and Welsh have no interest in the hospitality sector.

Many of those that went home offered a high standard of service.
 
mattyg said:
Its difficult to say. We have a responsibility to our staff so wouldn't take a decision like that lightly. We've just taken on a new manager @£45k who should help bring in new trade. We are fairly small so really suit small weddings approx 30 covers. We've done a few this year that have gone down really well. Had a few other private functions that really help.

There are many ways we can change as a business, and a sad fact is the more that close down in our town the more likely hood that we survive. There is still a lot of money in our town. And we cater for those with spare so we've not really taken a big hit yet.
Also signed up for a long term energy deal so have a good 2 years left before having to worry about that. Unless current provider goes under!!!
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Makes sense.

Its going to be the budget/low margin ones who suffer more. And like you say if you can be"the last man standing" all the better for your establishment!
 
Diddums said:
You should tie up with @mrk, he's a wedding photographer, you guys might be able to recommend each other.


He's a prolific tea drinker though so be careful.
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Hey now hey now...... Tea is the drink that can solve all problems.

Other than that, yes all things are possible :cool:
 
arknor said:
to many places expecting to pay minimum wage so the chefs drive for ubereats etc instead for better money and easier jobs
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Covid did it for quite a lot of people. Put on furlough, they realised they could cope with a 20% pay cut and felt much better for not working 60-70 hour weeks. Worth bearing in mind that 60 hours per week at £9.50 per hour is just short of £30k. It's not a bad career for pay, even if hourly rates are often terrible.

I could earn more per hour working at a supermarket. But I'd have to be on ~£15/hour to not lose out from dropping to a 40 hour work week. Realistically, if I left this industry I think I'd be looking at a £5k pay cut.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
Talking to 2 Landlords recently who said their electric/gas is £1000 a week and it could go up to £4000 which they won't be able to afford to stay open.
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I think that the government should reduce alcohol duty for on-licenses. I think many of today's alcohol problems are due to drining in non-social venues.
 
McPhee said:
Covid did it for quite a lot of people. Put on furlough, they realised they could cope with a 20% pay cut and felt much better for not working 60-70 hour weeks. Worth bearing in mind that 60 hours per week at £9.50 per hour is just short of £30k. It's not a bad career for pay, even if hourly rates are often terrible.

I could earn more per hour working at a supermarket. But I'd have to be on ~£15/hour to not lose out from dropping to a 40 hour work week. Realistically, if I left this industry I think I'd be looking at a £5k pay cut.
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A lot of people don't want to work for 60-70 hours though, especially not for crap wages. As you say, Covid opened a lot of peoples eyes to the life they were living, and they don't want that any more.
 
I've stopped going to the pub in the last few years due to the ridiculous prices. That was even before COVID and now the cost of living rise is the icing on the cake. Sadly I think they are done. They have changed from a working mans recreation to something only a few can afford now.
 
Hades said:
I've stopped going to the pub in the last few years due to the ridiculous prices. That was even before COVID and now the cost of living rise is the icing on the cake. Sadly I think they are done. They have changed from a working mans recreation to something only a few can afford now.
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Many pubs became trendy wine bars which a lot of people didn't want or ask for.
 
BUDFORCE said:
I don't go out to eat often because I've basically always been underwhelmed.

I cook a lot at home and can make nice meals, I feel slightly cheated when I go out and pay good money for something I can just knock up myself.

I guess if you can't cook (not directing at you) I can see the attraction.
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Where's the best place you've eaten out?
 
Russinating said:
Where's the best place you've eaten out?
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Funny I was thinking about that.

Thai Food van (effectively a burger van) in the market Square in Cambridge, but serving home cooked Thai Food, they had a westernised menu, then the special menu they didn't openly advertise. I only realised after going a few times I'd see the Asians there eating stuff not on the menu, I asked and they sort of wanted to make sure I would be ok.

Food was amazing, really good quality home cooked Thai Food, and not something I could do myself. Was also not particularly expensive.

I have had meals at posh hotels in London etc, and yes whilst it's ok, there is no real love gone in to it.

Worst meal I ever had out was at a Brewers Fayre pub, you think Spoons is bad, this was a whole other level, it was on the menu as BBQ chicken something, but it was literally boiled chicken, which they had taken out of the water and brushed BBQ sauce on, then literally onto the plate.

It was foul (no pun intended) the bar there was **** as well.
 
I'll agree with you on Brewers Fayre! Or basically any chain, but particularly a pub-based chain.

I guess maybe you're just not a foodie? Which is fine. I'd say I'm a pretty good cook but there's also more to eating than the food. Most of our holidays are centred around food, it's the only thing we research and we often try and book a Michelin-star if there's one we like the look of as again, the experience is more than just the food.

Anyway, that's way off-topic.

GIBURROWS said:
Many pubs became trendy wine bars which a lot of people didn't want or ask for.
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Comments like this make no sense to me. It's supply and demand. If nobody wants or ask for it then it'll close soon enough and become something else. And whatever it was before, clearly not enough people wanted or asked for that either.
 
Used for work for a local Brewery and even with a discount card, I found the prices extortionate and the quality of food average to poor.

Went to one of their pubs for a colleagues leaving party on Friday and it was dead in the evening but at over £5 a pint I'm not surprised.

The hospitality industry appears to be stuck in the past, other industries offer better hours and better pay so if they don't want to offer more for their staff, they deserve to go out of business.
 
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