To ask what does your local pub do to impress you?

[PubFairyGodmother]

Totally posting for traffic!

I run a small village pub. We’re off the main road, people have to be coming to our village to find us.

We open 6 days a week, all day, serve food at lunch and dinner times. We have a main bar, a smaller room and a function room. These additional rooms are regularly used by local groups for meetings - we don’t charge for the rooms for local groups, but people buy drinks and they help make the place feel busy mid-week.

We have 2 darts teams, regular monthly quizzes. We’ve stepped back from regular live music, so many places do it, the local bands can always be seen somewhere else next week (ie no incentive to come to the sticks) and they charge a lot, it doesn’t always make financial sense.

I’m just wondering if any of your local pubs do something that you think “oh that’s a good idea!”? Let’s face it, I doubt we’ll be in competition! Anything in the pub or anything online? I need to find some untapped markets to keep our lovely pub going!! Thank you

Yes. Vegan options based around beans/pulses rather than fake meats and vegetarian options with real cheese.

Our local pub does an absolutely amazing breakfast at the weekend before they open to the drinkers, its a real treat to have a cooked breakfast and a decent coffee that I've not had to make myself.

Our fabulous local pub has banned under 18's after receiving loads of complaints about behaviour and useless parents.

It's still dog friendly and is just perfect now with large sofas (that aren't being climbed over by kids), a roaring fire with the ancient pub Labrador lying in the hearth. Good food. Good wine. Good beer and no music.

Monthly cheese club

I went into a village pub recently that did a a 3 course Monday Supper Club. The menu was chalked up on a Tuesday and you had to book by the weekend.
It was simple, great food for £12. The menu I saw was something like tomato soup, fish and chips; brownie.

Fun inclusive community events - eg Christmas carols. Groups like book club, stitch and sip, craft nights etc.

Absolutely nothing and we’ve stopped going there. They’ve increased the prices and decreased the portion sizes so much that it’s ridiculous. We’ve now found another pub and go there even though it’s about 20 mins away.

I think that pubs that ban families with children and under 18s are very short sighted. People have long memories and I wouldn't go anywhere near a "local" pub that allowed dogs and banned children or teenagers with their parents. The young teenagers will reach 18 soon enough and will have been put off becoming potential customers.
I don't mind drinking den pubs that don't allow children as it's a different type of venue but it's very short sighted of ordinary establishments to do this.
Dogs in country pubs are acceptable but I hate them in city pubs. Can't be much fun for them lying around for hours while their owners get inebriated and the pub staff have to clean up after them.

God, yes to this. Some of the suggestions here (play areas and discos for kids!) would ensure I never set foot in the place.
As some previous posters point out, decide on your demographic and target them.
I wouldn’t be put off by kids quietly having a meal before a certain time, but kids bombing it round with glowsticks absolutely would ruin it for me.

✅ A roaring fire
✅ No music
✅ Knows my name

Edited to add:
✅ Live music is great! Just no loud hi-fi playing music, thanks
No fruit machines
No TVs

The best pub is one with a good juke box - online so you can down load any songs .
No food - plenty of Wetherspoons and chain pubs for that .
No kids- I go out for peace and quiet away from kids .
Real fire .
Live music
Bonus ball
Meat raffle
Clean toilets
Reliable opening hours - don’t want to make the effort to get there to find it’s shut

Beer garden of the year
one of Camra’s pubs of the year
no under 18’s
regular ‘ nights’ game nights, paint and sip nights, craft evenings, live music, limited, but tasty bar food, lots really!

Locally sourced food, nothing fancy, just basic simple stuff but from local farms, butchers and greengrocers, also other local stuff such as locally made ice cream, cakes from local bakers, free range eggs, etc. Basically things to differentiate from pub chains who all use the same bought in cheap rubbish from brakes/3663 etc. All day breakfasts, and other foods all day, not just fixed lunch and evening meal times. Afternoon teas and a decent coffee machine.

Get involved with local community beyond the pub, ie in our village, the pub landlord is on the parish council, the primary school PTA, and helps organise some village activities such as an annual scarecrow competition, bonfire night fireworks, etc even though not held at the pub, he just gets involved and that breaks down barriers with locals who aren’t particularly drinkers to feel more welcome in the pub.

Food elevates a pub for me. I pay more for food at my favourite pub because the chef is absolutely amazing. Whatever they're paying him isn't enough, they always sell out of the specials at weekend although often don't do food during weekdays presumably as he needs time off! The menu changes frequently too which makes us want to come back. Not doing food every day doesn't seem to be a problem for punters. Quality not quantity.

It's a touristy place and I know locals rates for beer seem to be help keep the trickle of locals coming in.

A simple thing I like in pubs is just having something like ham or cheese rolls wrapped in cling film at the bar for a pound or two. Lovely for when you're peckish for more than crisps but not wanting to spend on big meal. I'm sure it makes us buy extra beer or stay a bit longer. Bonus if there's pickle etc you can add yourself. Can't cost much but definitely a crowd pleaser.

Ours is a cafe bar it is always busy. They have a roaming magician once a week, quiz nights, outside tables and a small menu with lovely breakfast, coffee and a limited menu with scotch eggs, sausages rolls, cakes, nachos etc, plus the bar with the alcoholic and non alcoholic options. They also have guest craft beers and cocktails.

I prefer these if I go out with my husband. It's ridiculous how children and parents behave 2024.

This 100%

I also like a pub that does proper coffees so Americano, cappuccino (oat milk!) etc. as sometimes I just want a hot drink after a dog walk.

Single sex toilets.

Our local allows our older children age 10+ to use the function room for free on Fridays, whilst their parents are in the pub. That way the adults get to enjoy an evening out (up until 9pm) without paying for babysitters, and the kids get the equivalent of a youth club without disrupting the other punters. They mainly just huddle round their phones or play board games. It works because it’s a small community with kids at the same school and parents who like to socialise with each other.
They also do a meal deal for kids 3-6pm Fridays which is great for the younger ones.

First class cask ale.
Homemade game pie.
Not too many choices on the menu.
No children.

A luncheon club for retired people over 65.

They get discount on meals then have loads of games like dominoes, cards & chess sat around that people can stay & play while drinking.
I think a local taxi firm do a deal with them to take people home safely, its amazing how pissed 80 year olds can get while playing scrabble.

Are there any good walks near your pub? Write a few walks, like a 1 mile round the village, a 3 mile, a 10 mile stretcher. Beginning, ending or lunching at your pub. Publicise on FB , tourist office...

Board game evening, afternoon...

Murder mystery night

Cheap lunches for pensioners

Anonymous suggestions box supported by a QR code on a poster on the wall and in the loos

knowing my name

vegan/ non alcoholic options.

children and non children areas

Really really good beer. My local 2 pubs have 20 tap beers at one and 16 odd at the other. Got charged £10 for a pint the other day but still paid.

an atmosphere

If you stick all the responses into one piece of text and ask chatGPT to consolidate them all it will and give you a. Finger in the air about everyone.

do get locals to make suggestions with a physical inbox and a anonymous QR code as well (and maybe get their email addresses optionally if they want to to keep people up to date with events)