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AIBU?

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Original poster

Pubs doing “takeaway” alcohol

154 replies

Notcontent · 23/05/2020 15:02

Just saw a notice on a neighbourhood website advertising that a local pub is doing takeaway pints this weekend. I can completely understand why a pub would want to do that. BUT, let’s be honest, people buying the “takeaway” pints will not be buying them to take them home. They will want to stand outside in the sun to drink them with friends - that’s the whole point. And that seems to raise all sorts of issues - like crowding outside the pub - and sorry to raise this again - LACK OF TOILETS!!!

Pubs are required, as a condition of their licence, to provide toilets - because drinkers need to go, even if they have bladders made of steel... I am just glad I don’t live near the pub in question as I would not want the front of my house being used as a toilet.

OP posts:
MadameMarie · 23/05/2020 16:35

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Then it works fine for you. It's not logistical for the masses to use pubs as takeaways is my point.

LEELULUMPKIN · 23/05/2020 16:35

@Purpleartichoke Aww you sound lovely. I never thought for a second reading your post that you would.

Clutterbugsmum · 23/05/2020 16:37

As someone who doesn't drink, I don't see what the problem is.

They are businesses and they need to bring in money to pay their bill just like everyone else does.

We need to support small independent businesses otherwise when we come out of this we will not have the choice we have now.

Nosurveysneeded · 23/05/2020 16:37

A can doesn't taste the same as a fresh pint.

The business will have to throw barrel bear if not used within a certain time frame so selling it.

The business is probably doing what it can within the guidelines to attempt to get a bit of money to cover bills.

Why are so many people moaning about everything these days?

Leflic · 23/05/2020 16:38

MadameMarie What’s easier about queuing to get in a supermarket, shuffling round slowly and queuing to pay?

I’m in and out and my local with a couple of fresh pints. And supporting my local that I want to be there when this us over.

Fluffybutter · 23/05/2020 16:38

There are literally hundreds of real ales .
Even Wetherspoons sell about 10 different ones at any one time .

vanillandhoney · 23/05/2020 16:38

A lot of people in pubs and bars are drinking lager and wine etc which you can buy just as easily and a lot cheaper in the shop

A lot of people are overlooking the price because they want to support their local. If you'd go to the pub every Friday night in normal times, why not continue the tradition throughout lockdown so your local is still there in six months time?

KittenVsBox · 23/05/2020 16:39

To those of you supporting your local pubs and breweries, THANK YOU.
Far too much beer is getting poured down the drain right now. I hope the small breweries survive this, or your drinking choices are going to be limited to the mega corp mass produced stuff in the future.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 23/05/2020 16:39

Niche? Every free house does take outs, look at the canister up thread.

Our micro pub has similar and they stayed open until their stock had gone. They are getting more stock in over this weekend, having chosen to miss the bank holiday, and will be doing take outs for 2 hours a day. They're having a guest beer and quiz on Thursdays to try and get some business back... and relieve their boredom. Yes, I do mean remote, on line, Zoom probably (the tech may cause some issues Smile)

MadameMarie · 23/05/2020 16:39

All the pubs did it when I was a child. It was far from “niche”. It’s perfectly sustainable while pubs can’t open.

Presumably pre-supermarket era and when shops had limited opening hours.

Also when the price of a beer in the pub was comparatively cheap.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 23/05/2020 16:42

Ours has been doing takeout (drink and food) since the start of lockdown. Beer/ale goes in reusable glass bottles which you pay for the first time and then bring back to through the industrial wash. Everyone is taking it home and he's making enough to keep the pub viable, pay all staff wages etc. I think it's great.

Alsohuman · 23/05/2020 16:42

*Presumably pre-supermarket era and when shops had limited opening hours.

Also when the price of a beer in the pub was comparatively cheap*

None of which is remotely relevant. Just accept you don’t know what you’re talking about.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 23/05/2020 16:42

The Masses???? Who.siad anything about mass sales?

Stop changing the goalposts. You made a statement that turned out to be based on a few misunderstandings. Own that. Be pleased that these local businesses are being supportef.

MadameMarie · 23/05/2020 16:44

MadameMarie What’s easier about queuing to get in a supermarket, shuffling round slowly and queuing to pay?

Well more the local co-op than a major supermarket. But you'd buy your alcohol with your weekly food shop or whatever in the supermarket so it's in your fridge if you were doing that.

On my street there's an off-license and a co-op so I can leave the house now and have as much alcohol as I want in my fridge in 5 minutes time. Co-ops and off licenses are numerous.

Fair play to people who just want to help out their local pub though.

imsooverthisdrama · 23/05/2020 16:44

*Why would you want to takeaway a pint from a pub when you could buy 4 sealed for the same price at the off-license/supermarket/co-op?
*If everyone thought that pubs would permanently close , lots have pre covid for this very reason .
People have already said why like various ales etc . I know my dh favourite ale can't get in shops just certain pubs so he'd love it if our local opened its 5 minutes walk away so we'd take home .
I'm a wine or cocktail drinker normally but the other day I really fancied a nice cold pint , it's just not the same out of a can .

bigcatlittlecatcardboardbox · 23/05/2020 16:45

Everyone commenting that people should just buy cans from the (multinational most likely) supermarkets clearly don't usually drink in pubs, so don't give a flying fuck about publican's businesses because they won't miss the pubs when they all shut permanently.

I'm sure they all feel the same about restaurants and other outlets doing takeaway food because you can buy food in the aforementioned supermarkets.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 23/05/2020 16:47

@MMarie Look again at some of the previous posts, including the picture of the beer canister.

I don't know a pub that does real ale or cider or a local small brewery that doesn't do take away / off license sales. They always have, it's part of their business model.

You just don't know about it as it isn't a service you have required.

shushymcshush · 23/05/2020 16:50

Next pandemic: alcoholism.

I'm in a bad mood about booze anyway because chavvy neighbours are building a bar in their garden so when they are sat in it they will look right into our house

MadameMarie · 23/05/2020 16:51

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Fair enough. Despite my cynicism i'd like to see it work for pubs because i'd like many of them to re-open properly one day.

Ultimately i'm not a home drinker. I like the pub as a social drinker and going to the pub to take away beer back to my house where I can't have any friends round anyway doesn't appeal to me.

LEELULUMPKIN · 23/05/2020 16:54

@bigcatlittlecatcardboardbox Exactly!

No chance of that round here, our local takeaway has been doing a roaring trade throughout the whole lockdown and we of course have been doing our bit. Just ordered ours for tonight.

We can go months without a takeaway but have made a point of having one a week for exactly the same reasons as you stated.

bigcatlittlecatcardboardbox · 23/05/2020 16:54

Oh do calm down @shushymcshush

WiddlinDiddlin · 23/05/2020 16:54

Nearest pub.. 1/4 mile.

Nearest shop that sells alcohol... 6 miles.

Pub is selling alcohol in 'bring your own' containers, for consumption off the premises, so does not need to provide toilets, all the benches are put away too.

They are also selling cooked dinners in takeaway trays - people go in, put in their order, wait in the car for it to be brought out (And its a one in one out policy).

Why would folk bother, well they've the foresight to realise they will still want there to be a functional pub in teh village when this is actually over.

saraclara · 23/05/2020 16:54

A few pubs told us are doing it. Otherwise they're having to dump barrels and barrels of beer, which is a terrible waste, even if they didn't need money coming in.

That's been no problem at all. People just take it home. It's their local so it's hardly going to take long.
Yesterday we bought cocktails and a bottle of wine from a nearby pub. The cocktails were great! We just added our own ice when we got home.

IDefinitelyHaveFriends · 23/05/2020 16:56

It’s not just people buying to take home though. One of our locals is doing takeaway frozen cocktails for people to drink in the park, and one by the Thames is doing pints of lager and rum punches for people to sit and drink by the river. It all seemed pretty civilised - nobody is going further than walking distance from their home at the moment so toilets aren’t really a problem.

wipeyourpawsplease · 23/05/2020 16:56

We're all grown ups here @shushymcshush