North Yorkshire people - a fascinating article on Samuel Smith and his "unusual" approach to pubs

[cakeorwine]

Humphrey’s world: how the Samuel Smith beer baron built Britain’s strangest pub chain | Food & drink industry | The Guardian

Loads have been closed for ages.
No technology allowed in them.
His interesting approach to pub managers.

I think he refused the authorities in Tadcaster to build a temporary bridge when the main bridge collapsed in floods.

He sounds totally barking! But also, how awful for all those people/places who have lost their local pub.

I loved Sam Smith pubs when I lived in London - cheap and no background music. I had no idea that there was such a capricious character behind them.

I've been into a few of their pubs in York. He does sound a character. I often drive past the pub at Long Marston and have wondered why it's empty.

I have no problem with the guy or how he runs his pubs (the Citte of Yorke in High Holborn was my office local), but his beer is awful.

He's a feudal prick. I wonder if things will improve when he retires, but I can't imagine him relinquishing control this side of the grave.

The market for that type of pub is quite niche - no mobiles, no tv, no music, and only a very limited drinks menu.

Sam Smiths Pubs are closing on a whim but the villages are crying out for community hubs, makes no sense.

It was something like a 16 mile detour as he refused permission for a temp bridge to be built when the ancient stone one was destroyed a few years back, he made lots of enemies then and cut off half the town.

He's not well liked locally, his beer is awful and getting scowled at for answering a text isn't the best way to welcome customers. The complete opposite of a welcoming pub, in any of them that I've been to locally!

I love the 9ne in Manchester, ( apart from the stairs ! )
I also really like their beer esp the exta stout .
But I must admit I had no idea of the guys back ground

This bit about Tadcaster is depressing.

"This time, the sense of dereliction struck me harder than usual. Boarded-up properties dot virtually every street in central Tadcaster: six on Kirkgate, a main thoroughfare, 10 on the High Street, two on Chapel Street, and two more on Commercial Street. Almost all of these properties are owned by Samuel Smith. The Angel and White Horse, Samuel Smith’s flagship brewery pub, occupies a prime site on the High Street. It is one of four shuttered Samuel Smith pubs in the town"

I promise the spelling mistakes are not due to a couple of swift ones !

I've met him what an obnoxious person.
Wears very old clothes, has a chauffeur driving an old escort car
that is always breaking down.
His son wants to bring the company into the 21st century.

I like their beer.

We have several Sam Smiths pubs near here. Hardly any customers and I don't know how they stay open. At least as the bar staff are not busy they have time to watch the few customers so they can reprimand them if they look as though they are going to look at their phones or if their phone rings.

He’s got a pub in the centre of York he wants a couple to manage for £50k salary (between them, not each). I think it’s been on offer for years with no takers.

He's got Tadcaster in a stranglehold. It could be such a nice place if he didn't behave as he does.

He's meant to be standing down this month, interesting to see what happens.

Really enjoyed this article - super interesting. I only went in one of their pubs once and couldn’t find anything I liked to drink (and I love beer, but seemingly not theirs).

He's absolutely vile. Tadcaster is our nearest town and he's killed it. He refused an access into the town when it flooded. No one local would drink in one of those pubs. Awful man, I can't wait for him to die and I hope the brand dies with him

He goes swimming every day in Tadcaster pool walking their with his towel under his arm. A lot of the empty properties in Tadcaster are owned by him and he won't let them because he only wants a certain type of business, he wants a butchers to open but it's very unlikely and he won't take another business in the premises.

I've never encountered any 'no phones' or 'no swearing' policies in the London pubs. They tend to be packed and it would be impossible to police that many people.

Sinclair's Oyster Bar in Manchester is always busy and outside you can get away with it. However based on how he treats the publicans I wouldn't dare use one inside as if he was lurking he'd probably sack them for not kicking me out!

I can't find it now, but I read an interesting piece a while back by someone who had been chucked out of a Sam Smiths pub for using their mobile - they were diabetic and were using an app to monitor their blood sugar etc.

The landlord was apologetic but said if it got back to the boss that they'd allowed it they could lose their job.

I can understand some of the thinking behind a mobile phone ban but if it's a complete blanket ban it's an accessibility nightmare for lots of people.

Our local Sam Smiths pub closed down after the no phones, no swearing signs multiplied. It's almost as if they'd put signs up saying "no alcohol".