As sad as it is to say, but it'll pretty much be survival of the fittest. If you've got funds to weather the storm then you could well survive it, and as you say, the more the competition shrinks the less availability and choice that the public have.
What are your thoughts on the future of pubs/restaurants etc?
- Thread starter SexyGreyFox
- Start date
As sad as it is to say, but it'll pretty much be survival of the fittest. If you've got funds to weather the storm then you could well survive it, and as you say, the more the competition shrinks the less availability and choice that the public have.
Soldato
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Yes. It's hopeless. Worse still the staff turnover is chronic.
Ice… in your beer… what ??? Is that even a thing in the UK?
Soldato
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Agreed, thinking about when I have had great service in the UK, it was usually from Europeans.
Soldato
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No... that's pretty much my point.
Soldato
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Most people can afford to hold their breath for 1-2 minutes. Could you do it for 4?
We had one that was trained by a Michelin starred chef and was working in a big hotel in the lake district.
Turns out a Chef did a day there whilst they were at college and he was just really plating up at the hotel. He couldn't even poach an egg properly.
he had a bit of a shock when he had a trial day with us... We make everything apart from salt, Pepper and ketchup from scratch..
We did used to go to weatherspoons a fairy bit but that's completely stopped now, have a Holt's pub near us that we still go to for food and it's fine when you don't want to cook, the staff are what make it there for us, really nice people.
Still eat out at restaurants but far less often and more often it's the better value places.
This is our favourite at the minute.
www.yewtreeinnanglezarke.co.uk
Don't go to pubs for a drink anymore, locally it's the rise in tap rooms that seems to be the go to choice.
This sort of place
twitter.com
www.rivingtonbrewing.co.uk
Still eat out at restaurants but far less often and more often it's the better value places.
This is our favourite at the minute.
The Yew Tree Inn Restaurant Chorley
The Yew Tree Inn Restaurant Chorley Dog friendly Lancashire Pub
www.yewtreeinnanglezarke.co.uk
Don't go to pubs for a drink anymore, locally it's the rise in tap rooms that seems to be the go to choice.
This sort of place
x.com
twitter.com
Rivington Brewing Co
www.rivingtonbrewing.co.uk
Just reading this thread and a news article came on saying that if trends continue then a pint in London could reach £14 by 2025.
That said, I went up the shard on Sat - £7 for a 33cl bottle of peroni, £18 for a 175ml glass of Rioja and the Lyceum theatre - £6 for a bottle of water, both still very busy.
Wish I could charge those sort of prices in our place!
But back in the real world, yea it's going to be tough for hospitality. One of the businesses I run is in motorsport hospitality, so a bit more niche than just a high street place. We went under once after the 2008 FC, only just made it through Covid by the skin of our teeth, and I dont have a lot of optimism for the coming year.
That said, I went up the shard on Sat - £7 for a 33cl bottle of peroni, £18 for a 175ml glass of Rioja and the Lyceum theatre - £6 for a bottle of water, both still very busy.
Wish I could charge those sort of prices in our place!
But back in the real world, yea it's going to be tough for hospitality. One of the businesses I run is in motorsport hospitality, so a bit more niche than just a high street place. We went under once after the 2008 FC, only just made it through Covid by the skin of our teeth, and I dont have a lot of optimism for the coming year.That and the fact many are only opening for a few days a week and for shorter hours, with winter approaching + gas/electric increases that are coming soon it is going to be awful imo.
Sorry, not sorry.
We've been getting ripped off at pubs/restaurants for years now. £5-£6 per pint? Used to get 28 day aged fillet in Romania (5* restaurant) for £13 - you're looking at treble and more in the uk for something that cost them a fraction of that to buy.
Inlaws, they scrapped their weekly chippy treat, over £10 for fish and chips.
Pubs, restaurants, takeaways etc, it seemed every week there was a price increase for some reason or another, they had no issue taking money out of our pockets, now the shoe is on the other foot, it's all 'woe is me'.
We've been getting ripped off at pubs/restaurants for years now. £5-£6 per pint? Used to get 28 day aged fillet in Romania (5* restaurant) for £13 - you're looking at treble and more in the uk for something that cost them a fraction of that to buy.
Inlaws, they scrapped their weekly chippy treat, over £10 for fish and chips.
Pubs, restaurants, takeaways etc, it seemed every week there was a price increase for some reason or another, they had no issue taking money out of our pockets, now the shoe is on the other foot, it's all 'woe is me'.
Caporegime
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I think it is the fact that everything is just so expensive and a change of habits. When I was in my 20's the night life was epic in many a town. Now most are dead with the cities clinging on. I could go out on £20-30 quid and have a good time 15 years ago. A pint was a little over 2 quid. Clubs were less than a fiver to get in.
Hospitality is about the worst industry to be in at the moment. They need to evolve fast and have a USP to survive.
A lot of the chains are to blame as well. Really terrible microwaved food. Especially spoons. Maybe it is my rose tinted glasses but when I was in my early twenties it actually used to serve decent grub and large portions but now you need to order two meals to just get a fill! I only ever go to these places when I am in a hotel for the night and it's plonked on the side.
My half sister was in the pub game all her life. Ended up getting her own in a small village. Cooked her food and worked bloody hard for it. Eventually it was too much for her and she sold up and retired.
Hospitality is about the worst industry to be in at the moment. They need to evolve fast and have a USP to survive.
A lot of the chains are to blame as well. Really terrible microwaved food. Especially spoons. Maybe it is my rose tinted glasses but when I was in my early twenties it actually used to serve decent grub and large portions but now you need to order two meals to just get a fill! I only ever go to these places when I am in a hotel for the night and it's plonked on the side.
My half sister was in the pub game all her life. Ended up getting her own in a small village. Cooked her food and worked bloody hard for it. Eventually it was too much for her and she sold up and retired.
Soldato
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Used to eat at local pubs weekly, then became a once in a while treat, not been in a pub now since before Covid.
It's not that surprising pubs and cinemas are closing since Covid relaxations, even before the utilities bill boom.
It's not that surprising pubs and cinemas are closing since Covid relaxations, even before the utilities bill boom.
Soldato
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The Tories have broken it, and when it comes to choosing who to fix it, you'll choose the Tories. Again.I've never mentioned this before on here but my main hobby for the last 52 years has been gigging with different bands in different venues
It's now come to the point that I think in a years time because of the cost of living and heating crisis I may have nowhere to play even if I offered my services for nothing.
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.
Me and the wife usually have a meal out, a takeaway and go watch a band once a week but come next year all that could stop because of the crisis, other usual punters will be in the same state so therefore most venues will be empty and have to close.
In my opinion it's looking bad for the leisure industry, I hope I'm wrong, I usually am.
Soldato
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It's the £3+ for a post mix coke that gets me, deliberately priced high to justify the £5 pint. Used to eat out 3-4 times a month but the drinks prices mean it's high days and holidays now, we make do with takeaways
Pubs need to modernise and get with the times, while still holding on to that traditional pub local. I was in Scotland recently on vacation and was looking forward to visiting some pubs, and although I managed some nice pints it wasn't exactly easy.
A primary problem in scotland was the licensing rules. I was on vacation with family and wanted to go for a drink in the hot sun (it hit 30C in Scotland!), but it is basically impossible to bring children in to a pub unless you eat. If you just want a beer you a screwed. And understanding the exact rules and which pubs have the required licensing to let families in and have a drink without food is absolutely impossible. Now I understand why some of these rules were introduced on the past, but in this day and age these need changing. Instead of not letting children in, they should just call child services for the drunken father who spend 6 hours getting wanted in a pub with their children bored out of their minds. This also sets up a terrible system where children don't get the right impression about drinking. I want my children to watch me go to a pub and enjoy a nice pint while they have a soft drink and we carry on site seeing or go to the park afterwards, not to have the whole world of drinking hidden from view .
these rules alone meant the pubs lost about 90% of our custom. And I cant think of anywhere else in the world with such rules. Normally going to get some drinks is a family social occasion, and the bars even have areas for kids to play.
I like real beer,, tending toward Trappiste style double and tripples, or American west coast Imperial IPAs and stouts + porters. I also tend to pick local microbrewery options when suitable, especially for stouts. I do drink lager, but usually only form Munich. yes I am a beer snob. I drink beer for the taste, the alcohol is a pleasant secondary factor. Finding a pub that serves a selection of such beers is a challenge, you tend to have to go to a dedicated beer cellar (found a great one in Manchester a few years back). This tends to mean I look for pubs connected to microbreweries or good beer shops, for example I visited the Byre Inn near Callandar which sells beer from the Scottish ale shop next door.
Moreover, I drink a lot of non-alcoholic beer as well. I don't want to get drunk, so after 1 good strong beer I will move over to the non-alcoholic beers. There is so much choice of fantastic NA beers these days. The whole concept seemed pretty alien in the UK, and when they had something it was often Heineken 0.0 which is as bad as the alcoholic version.
When it comes to food, my wife and I are mostly vegan, but will go vegetarian or eat fish form time to time. Very few places seem to cater to the fastest growing dietary group. We also have quite high expectations for food quality. We both love to cook and so it is always disappointing paying a chunk of cash for something which I could cook better at a fraction of the cost. Even before I became vegan, many of my friends were, so there was no option to go out for a meal together at a standard pub.
I think all of this goes hand-in-hand. People are generally drinking less, the younger generation often don't drink, at all so having lots of good NA beer and mocktails would help entice them. High quality cooking with a diverse menu and plenty of real vegan options (not pasta and tomato sauce) will draw in a much bigger crowd. Premium beer and food will demand premium prices, and there are plenty of people willing to pay that. There is big scope for having tapas style food with good drinks. This doesn't stop the pub having some regular lagers and traditional pub-grub to serve that market, but they need go appeal to the 2020s demographic.
A primary problem in scotland was the licensing rules. I was on vacation with family and wanted to go for a drink in the hot sun (it hit 30C in Scotland!), but it is basically impossible to bring children in to a pub unless you eat. If you just want a beer you a screwed. And understanding the exact rules and which pubs have the required licensing to let families in and have a drink without food is absolutely impossible. Now I understand why some of these rules were introduced on the past, but in this day and age these need changing. Instead of not letting children in, they should just call child services for the drunken father who spend 6 hours getting wanted in a pub with their children bored out of their minds. This also sets up a terrible system where children don't get the right impression about drinking. I want my children to watch me go to a pub and enjoy a nice pint while they have a soft drink and we carry on site seeing or go to the park afterwards, not to have the whole world of drinking hidden from view .
these rules alone meant the pubs lost about 90% of our custom. And I cant think of anywhere else in the world with such rules. Normally going to get some drinks is a family social occasion, and the bars even have areas for kids to play.
I like real beer,, tending toward Trappiste style double and tripples, or American west coast Imperial IPAs and stouts + porters. I also tend to pick local microbrewery options when suitable, especially for stouts. I do drink lager, but usually only form Munich. yes I am a beer snob. I drink beer for the taste, the alcohol is a pleasant secondary factor. Finding a pub that serves a selection of such beers is a challenge, you tend to have to go to a dedicated beer cellar (found a great one in Manchester a few years back). This tends to mean I look for pubs connected to microbreweries or good beer shops, for example I visited the Byre Inn near Callandar which sells beer from the Scottish ale shop next door.
Moreover, I drink a lot of non-alcoholic beer as well. I don't want to get drunk, so after 1 good strong beer I will move over to the non-alcoholic beers. There is so much choice of fantastic NA beers these days. The whole concept seemed pretty alien in the UK, and when they had something it was often Heineken 0.0 which is as bad as the alcoholic version.
When it comes to food, my wife and I are mostly vegan, but will go vegetarian or eat fish form time to time. Very few places seem to cater to the fastest growing dietary group. We also have quite high expectations for food quality. We both love to cook and so it is always disappointing paying a chunk of cash for something which I could cook better at a fraction of the cost. Even before I became vegan, many of my friends were, so there was no option to go out for a meal together at a standard pub.
I think all of this goes hand-in-hand. People are generally drinking less, the younger generation often don't drink, at all so having lots of good NA beer and mocktails would help entice them. High quality cooking with a diverse menu and plenty of real vegan options (not pasta and tomato sauce) will draw in a much bigger crowd. Premium beer and food will demand premium prices, and there are plenty of people willing to pay that. There is big scope for having tapas style food with good drinks. This doesn't stop the pub having some regular lagers and traditional pub-grub to serve that market, but they need go appeal to the 2020s demographic.
The reactors wouldn't be operational for 15+ years so that is rather pointless. Massive amount of new solar + wind + BESS will help in the short term, and be cheaper, with gas-peaker plants for exceptional demand periods.
Unfortunately the vast majority of the country are going to be in fuel poverty shortly so going out to a high end pub is probably going to be quite low on their list of priorities.
Real ale and tapas isn't going to save the pub trade.
Soldato
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I think the sector of the hospitality industry in the U.K. which serves regular people is screwed as working folks will be eating Tesco Value products be candle light whilst wrapped in a sleeping bag this winter. The absolute top end establishments which serve the rich and famous will just pass additional costs to the customer who won’t even blink.