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

The pubs I like have:

• a quiz once a week
• a real fire when it's cold
• Sunday lunch
• a cheap pie mid week
• a happy hour mid week after work (not 4pm wtf)
• a quiet place where I can talk to my friends without piped music (a side room is fine!)
• a decent deal on a bottle of white wine
• a little stack of books or magazines somewhere
• clean loos

Many of them have other good things as well, but this is my core definition of a good pub.

I agree with @TheSoapyFrog . I want a pub to look and feel like a traditional pub. I want a fire and a sleeping spaniel and a series of questionable horse brasses and weird crockery high up on the wall. I don't like corporate plastic and chrome places, or those "industrial" look places. Up upholstery!

They host an annual party for the regulars with free food and great entertainment all day.

They have excellent homemade bar snacks (their scotch eggs are legendary)

They have a weekly free cheese/biscuits night

Op.

I want cosy.
I want a fire.
If you have a fireplace but don't want to light a fire or whatever, put something flickering please into the empty grate. I was directed recently to take a seat by the fire. Got there, no fire. I was told we'll no it's warm in here now so we have let it go out.
We don't need bloody fires to keep warm for gods sake. Fine don't burn wood put fake candles or teal one or something in it.

Pubs /cosy /hobbit shire.

There is nothing more sinful in my book than to go into a pub and see a cold black empty grate. Disgusting.

Next lights. Soft soft cosy lighting not glaring wild spotlight mad maximum lighting. No!!..

Then, I want a reasonably priced glass of wine and some tapas style snacks to eat with that wine.
I don't want crisps.
I want olives, cheese but again not 20 quids worth!!

Tapas style!!

Lastly, music.

A juke box.

Alternatively OP you furnish your pub with leopard print curtains (a nod to the MN scarf of yore) let us know on here where you are and all the MNers from far and wide will come by to revel.

Local walk leaflets

A good garden for the summer....pots, flowers, umbrellas, place for the kids.

Themed weeks...sausage week for example in November.

Consider opening for breakfast...a really good cooked breakfast.

smaller portions for people who want to eat less/elderly

My local started last year to have food truck nights where a pizza van/burrito van/chippy van parked in the car park and you could eat inside the pub if you bought a drink. It's been really popular.

They also invite a local butcher, fishmonger and farm shop to sell their produce from the car park from 10-2pm 3 days a week and a lot of locals who wfh pop in to buy things and then grab a coffee and sandwich from the pub for lunch (you can eat in or takeaway - the coffee is fab).

They do the usual quiz nights etc.

The pub is nice and clean. Good toilets. Traditional style. Cozy vibes.

Two main rooms. One allows dogs the other is dog free.

Nice but not fancy beer garden with heaters. Covered smoking shelter that's covered to get to but not near the entrances.

They don't do food/meals as such but have really good pub snacks in addition to the food trucks. So pies/pasties - always a meat and vegan option and sandwiches (great bread and fillings). Really yummy.

Brilliant ideas !