this must be an english thing because the pubs up here in Scotland are doing a great trade, I could take you to atleast 3 pubs within spitting distance of my office that service proper real ale (CAMRA) approved pubs for £2.50 a pint
The only pubs up here that are failing are the "YOOTH" pubs which lets face it we all know they open and shut every 6 months anyway
As a business owner myself I see it as primarily,; cost of premises and the 50% tax that has to be paid on that premises cost, per annum in the form of business rates - like your council tax but rated on almost half the rental value of your property, to be paid each year. Secondly, lifestyle changes; there is much more to entertain us in our after work time, the internet mainly, choice of what to watch on tv and of course, metrosexual men helping out more in the home. There is the cost as well, which is linked to my first point.
I'm sure there are many other reasons too.
PS: where I live, when a pub goes, a developer crams in as many flats onto the site, again linked to property prices, supply and demand.
Dunno about elsewhere, but I used to hate going to the pub in Sheffield. ALL town centre pubs were cheap, student-union-alikes with blaring music and sticky floors. Either that, or jumped-up look-at-me bars full of orange 1p-millionaires. Anything out of the city centre was owned by pubcos.
Edinburgh has loads of good pubs, however. I just have no job to afford regular visits. Although thats not a bad thing.
And on top of all this, we've recently discovered that you can buy a home brewing kit than makes 40 pints of very nice real ale for £60. Then refills cost £8-£18 a time for another 40 pints.
Why the hell would I go to a pub when the Yorkshire Bitter i've got sitting in the garage cost me 20p a pint? And it really is good beer. I know how it's been kept and I know eveything is nice and clean 
PS: where I live, when a pub goes, a developer crams in as many flats onto the site, again linked to property prices, supply and demand.
And there is currently a lot of supply of cheapo, generic, tiny flats -Slums of the future.
I'd prefer the pubs, to be honest.
I honestly don't think that sitting at home drinking home brew or cans of cheap supermarket beer can compare to an evening out sat in a pub drinking with friends.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a beer or two on an evening at home but it is a completely different experience to going out.
I honestly don't think that sitting at home drinking home brew or cans of cheap supermarket beer can compare to an evening out sat in a pub drinking with friends.
but I don't want the kind of friends who think sitting all evening in a pub or drinking is a sensible allocation of time
when we think of pubs what do we think of?
This:
This:
Or the reality of this?
#1 = Old Dungeon Ghyll ?
Wasn't beer always cheaper in supermarkets?
Booze is ridiculously cheap now in offies/supermarkets comparatively.
I started drinking approx 15 years ago and booze in shops is basically the same price now as it was then, while booze in pubs has gone up massively. Pretty sure that's the main reason.
Society is just changing, if I meet up with mates midweek then it's generally for a coffee. I would not even consider a pub midweek.
jimmy, you were going to the wrong pubs...
officially the best pub in Britain
i understand that pubs don't make much profit-per-pint, and so they need us in there for quite a while, often, drinking lots, to make a decent profit.
i don't know anyone with lots of spare time; there's too much diy, working, climbing and biking going on in my circle of friends, in a few years i suspect there'll be kids coming along to complicate things aswell.
i sneak in a pint or 2 during the week, then a few on friday and saturday nights. i'm a rubbish customer, and suspect i'm not unique.
it's not the price of beer that stops me drinking more, i just hate hang-overs.
The Smoking ban isnt killing pubs its pubs killing themselves.
If I think of the amount of pubs that I find appealling in Manchester- they are a fair distance away from me.
Too many focus on price (Wetherspoons are horrifically dull), others are drab and souless places. Alot of pubs are fitted out in newish yet horrific 80's decor. Why do some pub refurbers think this is nice?!
In addition, alot of the places loose the focus of what they are- they stock the standard pints, wife beater and a couple of other generic-same pub pumps. Pubs that stock Thwaites and Robinsons are bland IMO.
Customers definitely like variety now- something different and interesting. The old guard of punters are dying out (along with their fags).
Whens the last time you went into any pub and thought 'glasses of wine taste fantastic here'?
Same with the bar food in alot of them and those sodding fruit machines etc.
The Head of Steam and the Grove in Huddersfield are trying. Still souless places mind.
The only place that I can think of locally that I actually like is the Marble in Chorlton (3miles from home).
Geronimo - Member
when we think of pubs what do we think of?
This..
this.. or this..
Yes.
Society is just changing, if I meet up with mates midweek then it's generally for a coffee. I would not even consider a pub midweek.
Aye. Gone are the days when the working man went to the pub for his social life every night to avoid the trouble and strife. Now we go down to the Gym or sit in a seperate room talking to other Anglosaxon men on the internet.
Plus, as a rule I dont like any public house that doesnt allow dogs in.
I would not even consider a pub midweek.
) - I didn't think there had to be a set rule for when you can/cannot have a pint.
but I don't want the kind of friends who think sitting all evening in a pub or drinking is a sensible allocation of time
yeah, I mean we all just sit there silently supping pint after pint
A good local is somewhere where you can drop in for a quick one and see someone you havn't for a while, catch up with local news, get invited out on a fishing trip or to take part in a friendly game of Cricket, maybe have a game of darts or dominos, try an ale you've not had before, get warm in front of the fire on a wet and cold winter's night and swap adventure stories, etc etc etc
It's a social occasion, a bit like a bogtrotters ride (I imagine), except that instead of standing around chatting on the side of a hill you do it in the warmth with a pint in your hand.
It's a social occasion, a bit like a bogtrotters ride (I imagine),
yeah, half an hour is OK
Hora - we all know you only frequent gay cabaret bars anyway. Chorlton has a few great pubs as well as the Marble. The Trev is my favourite. A proper boozer.
I love what happened a couple of years ago. A gang attempted an armed robbery on the place. The regulars took exception to this invasion of their personal space, dissarmed them, gave them a kicking, then sent them packing. Now thats the kind of pub I like drinking in
The Trev's just an older persons boozer. Generic beers ontap with two ales though. Its got alot of potential.
Whats that one at the 4 banks? At least they offer numerous different beers to tempt (and keep) new customers going in/interested.
Trev does allow dogs though. Thats a brucey-bonus. I love dogs in pubs. It changes the atmosphere of the place and chills people.
I love dogs in pubs. It changes the atmosphere of the place and chills people.
I hate dogs in pubs, they slobber on you, beg for food and smell bad 
As much as this pains me to write, I actually agree with Hora on this pubs are killing themselves, agood pub offering what local punters want will always thrive.
I have there fabulous pubs within a ten minute walk of my flat.
1 a Witherspoons that sells Real Ale
1 a Local pub with a Microbrewery out back
These two charge under £2 a pint and that's in London, the other two are more upmarket and aiming at the yummy mummy, more cash brigade and have a great beer and wine selection.
They're all very busy and in the pub with the microbrewery business is booming.
Good pubs do well, it's a case of knowing your locals which sadly too many aren't really bothering with or alternatively finding a niche to fill.
Thats a badly behaved and mistreated dog SFB.
Why are pubs dying?
Think of it this way. Would you go into a Indian restaurant that had 70's old decor, a limited menu with bland food?
No- before anyone mentions that shithole in West Didsbury 
When I worked in a pub, it was fantastically busy every night (this is about 15 years ago mind you). But the landlord made an effort. He did themed food nights, real home-cooked food (their steak pie was amazing and they couldn't make enough to keep up with demand), pub Olympics, malt whiskey night (he would choose two from his collection of around 80 and heavily discount them). There was an annual bonfire party with great fireworks and free nibbles, a tug-o-war over the river on boxing day against the rival pub on the other side of the bridge.
Basically he MADE the place, he made people want to go there. I worked there for about 8 years and knew loads of people, people I still know to talk to now. I even met my wife there. There was a real sense of community spirit about the place.
It is a shit-hole now and every time I pass, no matter the day or time, it is empty.
Thinking back.
When I lived in Croydon I loved the Oval. A mix of people, lots to chose from and things to do (events).
When I lived in West Hampstead there was Scruffy Murphy's. The name says it all 
The pubs where I am are all thriving, but then again this is Aberystwyth where about 1 in 3 people are students.
Most of these pubs are actually quite samey, selling the same collection of horse-p*ss, battery acid and a token Welsh "bitter," the infamous Admiral being the drink of choice for many (4 vodkas and an energy drink)
There are however a handful that do things properly. There's a Wetherspoons that's reasonably nice and sells various beers for £1.80. It is however IMO outdone by the Ship and Castle, which despite being about 70p extra a pint is thriving with a large selection of good-quality beers (they seem to do better than Spoons at this, certainly at the moment), pool table and friendly staff.
Back home there are only two pubs in my village, both of which are often half-empty and with almost no one under 30 present. People my age tend to go to the pubs down in town instead for a few drinks and then on to the only nightclub in town. These pubs are completely void of character mostly and are overpriced. They only exist because people need to get taxis into town and the drivers (understandably) don't like driving wasted people around.
Having spent my uni days at aber id say the difference is
there is **** all else to do in that town but drink!
i strongly suspect liver disease is way above the national average
but i think mf has it right if you make it good enough they will come
a lot of boozers rely on crap food and crap beer and the footy as their only draw
No- before anyone mentions that shithole in West Didsbury
Er, you do know it's moved into the old video shop next door?
PS Good to chat on Sat - let me know if you're interested in the car.
But the landlord made an effort. Basically he MADE the place, he made people want to go there.
This sounds just like the Red Lion in Bloxham (Oxfordshire - a village that still has 4 pubs). It was run by a husband and wife who, long before the concept of the gastro pub, got in a decent chef and served good food, with themed nights (French, Mexican, etc.). Beer was local (Hook Norton, natch) and he created an atmosphere that had the place heaving.
It was bought by Fullers, who changed the basis of what it did well and the place was instantly deserted.
The landlord and landlady then took over another local pub (Say & Sele Arms, Broughton), and immediately created somewhere for his old clientele to go.
As I said up there ^^^^ all pubs need a USP to get people to go.
I'm pleased to say that my local is doing well and always pretty full. It's location has been key though you'd have a fair hike to any other pub or shop. So Friday after work it's heaving.
He does a great St Georges day mini beer festival to showcase local breweries. Good BBQs and a popular firework night as well as occasional bands. He seems to be pretty clued up i.e he knows if has bands every week on a certain day he'll loose a percentage of regulars that don't want to listen to it, if he is carefull with planning he'll get new if only temporary business as well as keeping his old customers.
Good little place.
The Hare in Southcott Village, and only thirty odd yards away
Er, you do know it's moved into the old video shop next door?
They've probably taken that deep-pile dirty carpet with them....
PS Good to chat on Sat - let me know if you're interested in the car.
Cleaned up/ and now advertised my Subaru Forester. Plan is pick up a reliable snotter (a STWer's Primera on another other thread for bike and baby duties) and then I can have my car for 80% of my journey's (including the weekly 50mile curry run)
Ahhh
On topic- the pubs have been getting soo bland over the years that I've actually gravitated towards really rough pubs or oddities.
I think the pubs are their own victims. Innovate or die.
Here (Switzerland) it’s just Saturday night the ‘bars’ are packed. Friday just a quick meet to plan sports the next day. There are festival days when the bars are crowded but these are rare – it’s just not in the culture.
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