To think you can’t sit in a pub all evening and not buy a single drunk

This is a good idea.

On the other hand, if it’s a quiet slot, the cafe may not care - they can say if they do, I don’t think you need to police it - but if you do, say it in person not on WhatsApp

Embarrassing. It's a business ffs.

Surely everybody can afford one drink a week! What would a room hire cost for the amount of time you're there? Probably a lot more.

A good pub is a community gathering place, true, but it remains primarily a business.

I am embarrassed for your non-buying book club members just reading this. If 5/6 of you can’t spring for a drink every week you need to shift the meeting to non-business premisses.

"Hi WhatsApp group,
It's a shame that (old venue) isn't available anymore for our meetings. How does everyone feel about using (pub name)? They've been welcoming so far but I think being a private business they will expect the whole group to spend money with them rather just having a few of us paying for drinks. Does anyone have any ideas for other places we could try?"

I'd also feel awkward using a private business in this way without everyone being a paying customer.
How long roughly do you spend there, and is the venue very quiet at that time?

I'd leave it to the pub to deal with tbh.

Depending on how busy they are they'd maybe rather have the group in with three of you buying drinks and three having nothing than lose the three who are buying drinks. Overall, your group contributes so it's not necessarily a problem for them.

If it is a problem then they can broach it with the non-drinkers.

I do think it's very odd though! And not a nice evening out to just sit with absolutely nothing.

So they just sit there as though it's a free meeting place and shame you when you go to buy a drink? What the hell is up with them?

Why is it sad? It’s always possible to go for a walk or a free museum or event, but it’s not ‘sad’ that someone running a food and drinks business requires you to buy some if you’re using their space. It’s not a bus shelter.

A friend of mine tried to do this once. I simply told her straight she couldn't sit there and not buy a drink.

Why didn't you just tell them?

Be prepared for the embarrassment when they ask for tap water when the staff say something to them op.

Hmmm. It's really not OK but I do feel slightly sorry for them that it used to be a bring your own drinks venue and now it's a pub. Maybe they can't afford drinks but still want to come like before?

I think you need a venue change - perhaps take it in turns to meet at your homes?

For wahtever reason they don't want to buy drinks, half the group don't want to buy drinks, so it seems that the choice of venue is not the right one. On that basis you are all being unreasonable.

They sound either exceptionally dim or completely shameless. How do they think pubs will survive if people sit there all evening not buying anything? I really don’t understand it, how do they think staff wages, heating, insurance etc is paid. I would have to say something, and I wouldn’t care if they were offended!

Very cheeky. I remember one of my old friends did this from uni and a few years after we graduated. She only drank water so just took a water bottle. I think she got away with it as it was a larger group of more than ten of us most of the time. But I always thought it was cheeky and could at least do a lime and soda!

it’s a shame a being your own venue has closed but if no one ever bought a new drink at the new place, how would it have a business?

Yeah they need to find some sort of community hall or just meet round each others houses.

One hand side, I admire their guts, I'd feel too CF to do that. It's sad how little options are there to meet outside home without an expectation to spend money.

On the other hand it isn't the pub's fault and yes, there is a reasonable expectation of the pub that it provides space for it's paying guests

One person on one night, in a decent sized group - fine. Half the group every week - should wind up being told to buy something or get barred. The bitchy one sounds unpleasant, do you really all need to meet, or maybe just the 3 who want to go out can go while you have bigger gatherings as a run in the park or something else free.

CF’s the lot of them. That’s not ok.
I thought this was going to be a thread about sponging off people to get your drinks bought for you, which my friend is excellent at, much to many people annoyance. But not buying a drink at all is unacceptable.