End of pub culture

[Puppylucky]

I've just read a City AM article positing that Covid restrictions will kill off pubs as we know them for ever. When I read posts about hospitality on here most people seem totally indifferent about the prospect. Is it just me that's really sad about the prospect of losing a valuable community resource?

In what way are they changing forever, according to this article?

In what way are they a valuable community resource?

Look up assets of community value. Pubs are fighting to stay open to stop developers taking them over. This was pre Covid. Sadly, I think a lot more pubs will close in the next year.
Pubs have always been a part of the community. They are a place people can go, have a drink and a chat with others. It's not all about getting tanked up. I'm with you OP.

Pubs have always gone through changes.

"Ye olde" 18th century Inns were places for travelers to have a beer, something cheap to eat. Meet up with people in the day. People walking to market and so on for the day, or just passing through. Coffee became popular too

The Victorian style pubs were different again. Some of those were very male dominated, especially in industrial areas and had a "working mens club" vibe about them. One in every street corner. A pint and a game of dominoes

Then later from the 1990s we had the trendy cocktail bar type pubs and theme pubs, sometimes with a dancefloor, and the bistro pubs

I think pubs serving cheap food like Wetherspoons or Yates and smaller family business, are similar to the older style inns. Serving coffee too. I think these inn type pubs will be popular again. Full circle really

In the pub I work in we have a lot of regular older people who come in alone.
They usually sit near each other and have a chat. When it was allowed we used to get old men come and stand at the end of the bar and people watch and have a little chat to the bar staff.

I like that we were a place they could feel comfortable and come and have a bit of company. I think that is valuable.
I thought about them during the first long lockdown and hoped they weren't lonely.

It is also a place that provides jobs a lot of local people so it's very valuable to us staff.

When I read posts about hospitality on here most people seem totally indifferent about the prospect.

What do you mean by this, OP?

I don’t want pub culture to be lost - I do think it’s valuable and pubs can indeed be a community asset. But I’ve not seen any posts saying otherwise.

I don’t want to go to the pub at the moment myself, so I guess I am potentially one of the ‘totally indifferent’ if by that you mean people not wanting pubs open at the moment or not frequenting them when transmission of the virus is high?

I am bothered by the way the economy generally is FUBAR and certain sections like hospitality and entertainment hardest hit. But I don’t know what I can practically do with that concern that would help.

I don't think it would be a bad thing for the pub culture to maybe return to before we had 03.00 licences as the norm. The theory simply didn't work of spreading the time the public were leaving pubs.

Back to 11.00 closing may not be a bad thing, rather than arriving in town at 11.00 already tanked up from being at home.

Sadly I do think we will loose the much needed little community pubs and the big chains will survive.

Did you watch Tom Kerridge's programme (might even be a series but I only daw this week's episode) on Saving Pubs?
It was surprisingly positive. Things were bad for the pubs he was helping before coronavirus, but actually they all got to September in a stronger position.

Obviously the continuing closures will have a devastating effect with zero money coming in, but with a vaccine, some will emerge more firmly enmeshed in their community which will support their survival.

(It was also very strange to watch the programme and remember real time responses to the start of the pandemic with the pub owners wondering if they should shut or not and speculating on how long it might go on. How naive we all were).

A pub in a nearby village had been closed for a couple of years and managed to have their delayed reopening in August. Been in a couple of times and it's managed to get back the regulars nursing a pint on the bar although they did have to have a table each.

Individual business will change, but broadly culture should remain unchanged from this abrupt shock. Some changes like ordering on apps will hang around, but if people want the social contact of chatting around a bar, then that will continue long term.

I'm not a big drinker and due to having young DC rarely got the opportunity to go to a pub. Or have any kind of evening out really. But right now I am absolutely gagging to go down to a local pub, couple of drinks, lively atmosphere. A band playing too would be ideal.
I am excited about them reopening as are many.
We'll definitely be losing a few pubs but it was probably inevitable anyway, this year has just speeded it up.

As others have described above, pubs are indeed a valuable community resource, especially for people who may live alone or lack other forms of social support, so Im not sure why that's being questioned. And maybe it's just me, but I've read countless posts on here along the lines of "I don't go to pubs and don't care if they ever open again". I agree that 3am closing times can be anti social but the night time economy has revitalised post industrial towns like Cardiff and Liverpool and that recovery is now at risk. I do agree we may see an evolution to a different style of pub but I'm not sure that is a good thing or that it will totally replace what's been lost and that's sad.

I think there will be fewer pubs once the vaccine enables something nearer to normal life to resume. Many people are on lower incomes or will be and so spend less money socialising.

I'm not indifferent to this, one of the things I would like to see is reform of business taxes which hinder pubs and other high street businesses. Tax based on turnover not the size of your premises.

The matter has been made worse by the slow response to each stage of the pandemic by the government, meaning longer restrictions than would have been the case otherwise. The ones coming into force next week harm more pubs than would be the case if Damien Green's suggestion of setting tiers by borough was used- for example why are rural parts of Northumberland, Lancashire and the western side of Kent in tier 3?

@toomuchfaster

In what way are they a valuable community resource?

Pubs have always been a valuable part of the community. They are a place people can socialise, have a drink and a chat with others. It's not all about getting drunk.

I know at my local pub a lot of older retired and widowed men and women go in the afternoon/weekend to meet up with others and make friends.

It's rather strange how hospitality has been targeted but anyway...
Our area was in what became tier 3 from end of lockdown 1 most of the local pubs have closed now
Permanently

You're not on your own OP.
I very much agree with the community support aspect and feel that so many don't realise this and just see pubs as a place where people get leathered.

My dear uncle would nurse a pint every day, all day.

My aunt didn't want him in the house, so he would go to the pub, meet his friends, play Dominoes and have a life away from his miserable home life. He's no longer with us, but I've been thinking of him lately, wondering how he'd cope in lockdown.

We’ve lost both the pubs in our village to Covid. That’s 2 people’s businesses, local jobs and somewhere for people to actually go because there’s nothing else unless you drove to another town or village.

@toomuchfaster

In what way are they a valuable community resource?

The pub I work in is in an area with a lot of sheltered housing and we have regular elderly and vulnerable people come in for lunch, some of them would have no human contact without the pub. We've been told many times that it's a lifeline to them, that without they would be so lonely and isolated, I just hope they've all survived lockdown. Our elderly customers also know that if they have a problem, eg a broken washing machine or they're locked out, they can come to the pub and we'll know someone to fix it, so pubs can definitely be a community resource.

YANBU

We don’t go to the pub to get smashed, we go to socialise and sometimes just to have a glass of wine and quietly read the papers. Even our two lovely dogs enjoy going to the pub (v dog friendly establishment!).

Our local is such a beautiful, historic, welcoming place that people come from miles away. We would be so sad if it went under. We plan on supporting it when it reopens as much as we can and the whole community is going to do the same, so hopefully it can survive.

In a way given that the owner of Wetherspoons is a Brexit cheerleader and all the decisions are being made by men, you would have expected more support from the government for pubs.

I think pubs are great. I love our locals and I miss them. I miss pub quizzes and I miss going there for my dinner when I'm really tired after work and knocking on for my friend who lives over the way, those kind of easy spontaneous meetings. I miss Sunday lunch with my dad and the open fire with the random spaniels asleep in front of it. (Why is it always spaniels?) I miss having a coffee in the railway pub when my train is delayed. I miss the random local people that I say hello to - it's nice to say hello to people. (I know this is very much hated on MN but personally I like it.) I miss the live music and the board games and the endless mad clubs and societies that always seem to be meeting in a corner. Pubs!

I think it's sad. Not everyone goes to pubs to get drunk. I love to call in to our local pub on a Sunday afternoon for a g&t after a long walk. Or to meet a friend for a catch up over a glass of wine and a bowl of chips. My late dad, in his 80s, used to go to his local pub for lunch and a half pint a couple of times a week. He was lonely, didn't have to cook and staff were kind to him.

I love pubs. It's going to be hard for them to survive.

Pubs are definitely a valuable community resource. Not only for the many older people, who would otherwise have very little social contact, but they are very often vital in supporting the local community. Many pubs have teams (dominoes, darts, pool, football etc.) which help cement community spirit. They also hold raffles, quizzes etc. to raise funds for local charities.

The other major way that pubs are vital is that they are supplied by the local businesses. Many pubs use local independent suppliers, such as breweries, butchers, greengrocers, bakers etc. etc. They will also employ the services of cleaners, gardeners, pest control, window cleaners etc.

Hundreds of pubs have already closed and many, many more will over the coming winter. Winter is traditionally the worst time for pubs an it is only the boost of the few very busy weeks at Christmas that keeps pubs going until the following spring. Without the vital Christmas trading this year, it will be impossible for many pubs to survive.

So while many people don't use their pubs & won't miss them, you may well miss your local butcher & baker when they struggle to survive too.

My DH goes to the pub once a week. It’s a massive pillar of his mental health and that of the blokes he goes with. Pub culture is an institution that needs protecting.

nosswith when the first tiers were announced I saw a lot of people commenting that this substantial meal rule was just made up to keep Tim Martin happy because Spoons are one of the companies that will be able to keep open.