City pubs and bars imposing minimum spend if you want to get in!!

[Usernamesgain]

DH and I decided to have a day in our nearest city on Saturday. We would often, pre Covid, go into town, wander from pub to pub, have a meal, few drinks etc.

I understand that it’s now only possible to get a table if you book - it’s a pain but due to social distancing acceptable.

What I am annoyed about is that almost all the places we tried to book now impose a minimum spend to book that table!! So you can’t hop from place to place after an hour or two, you have to stay and reach this minimum spend.

I felt a bit disgusted by it tbh, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if pubs decide to keep this ‘rule’ going forward, nice little earner for them really.

The spontaneity of bar hopping will be gone. Having drinks out will be only for the people who can afford a long stay at the table, drinking heavily to meet the minimum spend.

Not found anywhere in London doing this, not even for the football. One bar had a 10 pound entry fee, I didn't bother, but it's a lovely place so I see why people would pay it.

£30 for food and drink would be doable. But if it's just on drink? I would be pissed as a fart at this point in my life. I dont drink much at home and have only been to the pub twice since they reopened.

It's because of the football!

I'm just glad we can go out again, who cares if we can't pub crawl yet

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

I get why.

On a very simplistic level....

They have ten tables. If its 10 groups of six, spending a tenner each over two hours... thats £600 over 2hrs.
Its 10 groups of four, spending £7 each... £280.
10 couples, sharing a bottle of wine per table... £80.

What customers does the pub want?

Or put a minimum spend of say £40 per table over 2hrs... guaranteed £400, maybe more.

This!

Would you rather all the pubs shut because they aren't economically viable to keep going in a socially distanced - only order at table - restricted capacity world? 🤷‍♀️

I haven’t heard this before, but it seems quite sensible and easy to understand the rationale. Who hops from place to place beyond the age of 25 anyway?

I’m not sure that the pubs want to encourage pub crawling yet. Four of my local pubs/bars had to close last week because a group of men had gone round them all and tested positive…

That said; I haven’t encountered any minimum spends here. There are a few pubs that are not bookable if you’re not eating, still, but that’s about it.

YABU to say "nice little earner" - most hospitality establishments are lucky to break even at present, and that's after months and months of little to no income ... plus the huge shortage of staff at present often resulting in having to take on temporary agency staff at a vastly increased cost (or having to close for certain parts of the week).

@Floofsquidge

I think saying something is a "nice little earner" is a tad insensitive for an industry that has spent most of the last 18 months shut or at 25-50% capacity. They cannot survive if people come in for a single drink taking up a table that others can use.

This! 'A nice little earner'. Wow, just wow. The industry is in its knees. Please think before you speak OP.

@Aprilx

I haven’t heard this before, but it seems quite sensible and easy to understand the rationale. Who hops from place to place beyond the age of 25 anyway?

Quite. People who describe the hospitality industry's survival strategies as 'a nice little earner', evidently . . . 🙄

Bar hopping. Are you an excited 18 year old?

I am in Manchester and found the same at a lot of places but I think it is temporary because of the euros. My partner was booking somewhere for tonight to watch the match, some places wanted £50 per head minimum spend! It's a 90 minute match so roughly 10 pints each in that time... ridiculous! The table was booked for a bit longer but they only wanted to go for the football. The best deal he found was £20 a head which included 2 beers and a burger.

Bars are at limited capacity and having to employ more staff to cover the table service. Hospitality has been shut down for even longer in Manchester due to tier 3 so its good to see people getting out and supporting local bars. I hope the minimum spend is temporary as it is a great expense and I dont think that people who are tee total or don't drink much alcohol should miss out socialising. I think it will balance out in time

Perhaps they are fed up of people going in and nursing one drink the whole night and hogging a table?

If you’re going to spend 2 hours in a bar and buy 2 lime and sodas, then it’s understandable they’d rather have people spending more, otherwise they may not be able to afford to stay open….

We have a lovely pub near us which is on the expensive side. We generally go to eat and always spend a lot. A friend of mine has recently started working there snd says that the average spend per head is £8.50!!!! That is just a person sitting for a long time with one drink (and as an average against all the other big bills) - I realise that for some people getting out and sitting with a drink for a while Is super important but it must be so bloody hard for the pub to cover their costs!

Many places here want a deposit now when you reserve, it's taken off the bill of course. No minimum spend though.

Not quite the point but I've never liked bar hopping. You find a good spot, get comfortable and then up and off again, no not for me. One friend always wants to move for dessert, we're very happy Covid put an end to that crap.

I haven't seen this fortunately. But then I haven't been into town for a couple of weeks. I guess it makes sense for the football nights if they are showing the game. However I would not go in at £30 a head - even with food that seems high to me!
It cuts out the little/spontaneous drinkers. For example we were in town for something else and afterwards passed a pub with an empty outdoor table. So we decided to have 1 drink. We did with some crisps or something then we went home. That quick stop would not have been worth £30 per person to me so we wouldn't have filled that table.

Yeah it sounds high but it's not happening. Yes, if you want a sought after table while the football is on then they will want to guarantee you'll turn up.

Many many places aren't showing the football, aren't charging a minimum spend etc. In Manchester there are absolutely loads of pubs and bars not charging, we didn't even pre-book and got into everywhere we went.

YABU Nice little earner? FFS have you got no clue at all. These places won't be there for you to bar hop to if things don't change very soon. As it is they're trying to operate under restrictions and make enough money to keep their heads above water. Having someone like you that wants to take up a table and nurse half a lager for an hour or so is not financially feasible.

Pre covid lots of bars and pubs were closing down in my area. I'm surprised any survived lockdown so I won't begrudge them making a living. As others have said bar hopping right now is a terrible idea anyway.

I was out on Friday night and didn't see this.

I completely understand that bars need to make their money after an awful time, but at the same time I'm surprised the licencing regs allow them to do it - it seems to force people to spend more and therefore drink more than they really want to.

It’s the opposite in London - max 90 min stay so you have no choice but to bar hop!

@Usernamesgain

It was generally £30 per person so for DH and I £60. Okay if we wanted to stay all afternoon but that’s not what we like to do.

I hope it doesn’t stay, it will ruin the pleasure of hopping from place to place.

If you are there the whole day, just base your meals around these pubs. So brunch at one. Dinner at another etc. £60 for a meal and drinks for 2 isn’t bad.

Deffo a thing, in Cardiff.
They need people to show up to the pre cleaned and cleared tables.
You can't just pub crawl anymore.

The most I've heard is £30 a table.

"Nice little earner" for an industry that hasn't been earning anything over the last year I'd say they should take as many "nice little earners" as they want.

If you don't like it, don't go, it's hardly obligatory.

Are you entirely sure about this?

I don’t know anyone doing this
Most people are setting time limits so you can only have a table for 1 1/2 or 2 hours or taking deposits. I don’t know any that set a minimum spend because id have thought it was less efficient and customers taking tables all night are usually poor in terms of profit. People nursing drinks all night is nice to do but terrible for businesses