To coincide with the online publication of “How to Run a Successful Pub” – a non fiction book about how to run a pub – HowTo.co.uk wonders if the days of the traditional watering hole are numbered.
Dickens cemented the idea of what the traditional British pub represents in the national psyche – an institution offering fine ales, hearty meals, crackling fires and eccentric local characters, where all strata of society could drink and mingle. Yet 150 years on, this cornerstone of British culture is under greater threat than ever.
Pubs Feel the Pinch
Pub closure rates in 2007 were higher than ever with over 1400 shutting their doors, and it’s traditional pubs that are suffering the most. People are drinking less than ever (beer sales have slumped by 11 per cent over the past decade) whilst beer duty has risen by 27 per cent over the same period, providing even less incentive for those with the desire to run a pub.
Some may argue that the tightening in drink-driving laws, the impact of the smoking ban and campaigns by health organisations, are alienating the very customers traditional pubs rely most upon: the locals. Many find it cheaper and more hassle-free to either drink at home or seek out a chain bar with the resources and drinks promotions to keep alcohol costs at more attractive prices.
Running Problems
Independently running a pub becomes an ever-more challenging means of money-making. Sell-outs are on the rise, pub ownership changes frequently and customer confidence is low. A 2005 Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) survey also found eight out of ten closed pubs were demolished or converted into houses: at regional and national levels, resuscitating British pubs and the communities they serve are low down on the list of priorities for developers.
Changing Tastes
Pub-goers tastes are changing too. Two taps of local beer and faces turning to stare: that was the expectation on entering a traditional pub. But pubs no longer serve the communities they once did. Trade is instead reliant on erratic passers-by who sit timidly in corners rather than mingling at the bar keeping traditional community spirit alive. This new clientele want wines of the world as much as local ale, gourmet restaurant food more than chips at the bar, and a play-park outside for children. The traditional pub now aims to entice everyone and usually falls short, ending up the soulless hybrid of a Little Chef and a crèche.
Quality versus Quantity
It boils down to quality versus quantity. Chain pubs like Wetherspoons offer unabashed quantity with vast seating areas, uniform design and a plethora of cheap meals and drinks. Rather than compromising their integrity by offering the same, traditional pubs should focus on their eclecticism (cosiness, eccentric décor and select quality food and drink) if they are to survive.
All-round Action Needed
This spring, the British Beer and Pub Association said it was the government that need to halt the rise in beer tax to preserve traditional pubs. But it is going to require a collaborative effort, between politicians, developers, publicans and above all pub-goers, if the traditional British pub is not to become something we can only read about in old novels.
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