Demise of pubs and social clubs

I go to pubs in the day for coffee and food but I am not very pub focused at all, I worked in one for 8 years and that really killed the attraction.

The Watching Artist wrote:

Drumstick wrote:

The Watching Artist wrote:Only been a couple of times as I'm not much of a drinker and also a loner but I work on that road. By the time I'm done most nights they will be shut and I don't think its wise for me to have a drink before a shift.

Next time I'm there I shall announce myself and ask if Drumsticks Daddy is in da house.

I'll pay you a visit on Saturday so for a few minutes you will know what it's like not to be a loner. We can discuss things like Mario Kart and Jawa's video game failings.

I'll probably be working but you can have a drink for every Zelda Jawa has finished.

Cool. I'll pop in every shop along that road until I find you.

I try to keep alcohol consumption to once every 2-3 weeks which is to do with bodyweight and physical fitness concerns primarily and secondly due to the price. Price of a pint is shocking and surely has to be the main factor behind a reduction in drinking at pubs. Pints in pubs in Tooting (not a posh part of London by any means) cost over a fiver. It used to be a central London phenomenon only.

Every 2 weeks my employer pays for unlimited drinks at a pub after work on a Friday, I certainly drink a lot more frequently when it doesn't cost me a penny!

That said, at least where I live, I've not noticed pubs closing, there's at least 6 nearby me (within 10 minutes walk) not to mention indoor markets getting gentrified with off licence craft beer shops.

I don't drink so I find the whole pub thing pretty weird. If you're going out wouldn't it be more pleasant to go to a restaurant with nice food that also serves alcohol rather than some place that tends to have crappy food and is mostly known for alcohol?

Rightey wrote:I don't drink so I find the whole pub thing pretty weird. If you're going out wouldn't it be more pleasant to go to a restaurant with nice food that also serves alcohol rather than some place that tends to have crappy food and is mostly known for alcohol?

If you're going out just to drink why would you go somewhere that specialises in food rather than somewhere that specialises in alcohol?

Last time i went to a pub (early June), i had a lovely sunday carvery meal...










...which then poisoned me.

Pubs are closing because a lot of pubs are run badly by idiots.

Most "local" pubs have the same gooseberry fool beers, same gooseberry fool wine and same gooseberry fool snacks. So shockingly no strawberry floated goes.

We have lots of very good pubs round oh way and a few new ones as they are offering a good range of changing beers and ciders which brings in people.

If people try and know their product they do well, but if you know beer, wine etc you create a crap pub sticking whatever the first distributor who came through the door offering free lines or whatever is pushing.

Where I live we have 3 pubs roughly within a 2 mile walk of each other, however I only tend to visit one of them the odd time I do go to a pub.

Saying that I really don't go that often, mainly as I'm really not much of a drinker. The few times I do go a year it's mainly for a meal with the family or the very rare occasion people from work fancy meeting up for a few.

Oblomov Boblomov wrote:

Rightey wrote:I don't drink so I find the whole pub thing pretty weird. If you're going out wouldn't it be more pleasant to go to a restaurant with nice food that also serves alcohol rather than some place that tends to have crappy food and is mostly known for alcohol?

If you're going out just to drink why would you go somewhere that specialises in food rather than somewhere that specialises in alcohol?

See this is what I don't understand, don't most people also at least get some snack or something when they go drinking? From the few pubs I have been to when I went with friends, they didn't seem to have such a massive variety of beers. Seems like you would find most of what you can get at a pub at a restaurant.

Vermilion wrote:Last time i went to a pub (early June), i had a lovely sunday carvery meal...










...which then poisoned me.

All the taste, none of the calories!

Oddly after a decline in pubs in my town from the smoking ban we are back to about the same amount although they are more main stream pubs. I have also found that the selection of beer has improved over the last 5 years although the quality of food isn't as good.

Rightey wrote:

Oblomov Boblomov wrote:

Rightey wrote:I don't drink so I find the whole pub thing pretty weird. If you're going out wouldn't it be more pleasant to go to a restaurant with nice food that also serves alcohol rather than some place that tends to have crappy food and is mostly known for alcohol?

If you're going out just to drink why would you go somewhere that specialises in food rather than somewhere that specialises in alcohol?

See this is what I don't understand, don't most people also at least get some snack or something when they go drinking? From the few pubs I have been to when I went with friends, they didn't seem to have such a massive variety of beers. Seems like you would find most of what you can get at a pub at a restaurant.

Not always. And it just feels weird to stay at a restaurant long after you've finished eating, whereas you can sit in a pub going at several drinks for hours.

It used to be we'd go out weekly and start in a pub at 8pm

Now our group is maybe once a month, starting drinking in one of our houses and usually it's 2300-0000 before we actually hit town.

Part drinks getting more expensive, part my favourite pub got changed into a crappy cocktail bar that plays heavy techno in 2013.

Unless you are looking to meet new people house parties are just way better, you are the DJ and barman.

Rightey wrote:

Oblomov Boblomov wrote:

Rightey wrote:I don't drink so I find the whole pub thing pretty weird. If you're going out wouldn't it be more pleasant to go to a restaurant with nice food that also serves alcohol rather than some place that tends to have crappy food and is mostly known for alcohol?

If you're going out just to drink why would you go somewhere that specialises in food rather than somewhere that specialises in alcohol?

See this is what I don't understand, don't most people also at least get some snack or something when they go drinking? From the few pubs I have been to when I went with friends, they didn't seem to have such a massive variety of beers. Seems like you would find most of what you can get at a pub at a restaurant.

You are talking about a different thing to British pub culture.

We have restaurants for eating, pubs that do eating and drinking and pubs that are just for drinking. If you are going out drinking then you will either eat before going to the drinking pub or you will grab a takeaway on the way home.

Errkal wrote:Pubs are closing because a lot of pubs are run badly by idiots.

Most "local" pubs have the same gooseberry fool beers, same gooseberry fool wine and same gooseberry fool snacks. So shockingly no strawberry floated goes.

We have lots of very good pubs round oh way and a few new ones as they are offering a good range of changing beers and ciders which brings in people.

If people try and know their product they do well, but if you know beer, wine etc you create a crap pub sticking whatever the first distributor who came through the door offering free lines or whatever is pushing.

Local pubs are also insanely expensive compared to just buying booze elsewhere.

I remember going away on holiday a few years back and drinking at the hotel bar the night before. It was something like £3.50 a pint and we couldn't beleive how so expensive it was. Last weekend we were out and I don't think a single pub had pints under £4 with the most expensive place being £5 for a pint of strawberry floating becks vier

We've got a couple of lovely local villiage pubs right by where we live, but we only go maybe once a month as it's just too expensive.

Qikz wrote:

Errkal wrote:Pubs are closing because a lot of pubs are run badly by idiots.

Most "local" pubs have the same gooseberry fool beers, same gooseberry fool wine and same gooseberry fool snacks. So shockingly no strawberry floated goes.

We have lots of very good pubs round oh way and a few new ones as they are offering a good range of changing beers and ciders which brings in people.

If people try and know their product they do well, but if you know beer, wine etc you create a crap pub sticking whatever the first distributor who came through the door offering free lines or whatever is pushing.

Local pubs are also insanely expensive compared to just buying booze elsewhere.

That's not always the case, if they do their job properly it doesn't need to be.for example, my local has 7 ales, 7 ciders, and the usual crap and ales are between 290 and 350 a pint which is very reasonable.

It's more than buying is Tesco sure, but it doesn't need to be extortionate. Usually if a pubs massively expensive they are either selling crap, not making much and so up the prices to cover it,
Or, they are selling craft stuff and so the price is inline with the quality of the beer (excluding places that cheat with the various mass made "fake" craft beers that have come out.

Chocolate-Milk wrote:

Vermilion wrote:Last time i went to a pub (early June), i had a lovely sunday carvery meal...










...which then poisoned me.

All the taste, none of the calories!

I burned more calories on the toilet than i do walking to town.

I've moved to an area where I'm within 10 minutes of 2 reasonably nice country pubs... we've been maybe 3 times in the last 12 months. To be fair we gave spent most of the year planning or working to pay for a wedding and they haven't actually finished the path to the high street so walking down has meant going through a building site.

I love going out with my mates though, Cambridge or London have a great selection of bars. The problem is that nights out are a £200+ occasion so I can only really justify it a couple of times a year. That and I'm getting less tolerant of hangovers.

In complete contrast to my attitude in a previous thread on beer I've gotten into trying different craft beers and there are a few places around here that have something about them that send to get repeat customers.

Moggy wrote:If you are going out drinking then you will either eat before going to the drinking pub or you will grab a takeaway on the way home.

Hime wrote:The problem is that nights out are a £200+ occasion so I can only really justify it a couple of times a year.

Jesus christ how are you spending £200?? Even at a fiver a drink that's 40 drinks