I'm happy pubs are dying out

[Raymondsam]

In my town at least.

Maybe decades ago the argument could be made that they're social hubs for people to unwind, meet and have a good time on a weekend.

Nowadays they're just hovels where mostly retired old boys go to binge drink in the daytime and cost the NHS billions in the various cancers strokes and host of other comorbidities that crop up.

The three biggest ones in my town are the typical chain owned leasehold places. Big companies that own hundreds of pubs all over the country. They treat the leaseholders like crap, if they start to turn a decent profit they up the rent.

Some posters are making the mistake of thinking that pubs are one homogenous group.

Like where @mamagogo1 lives my nearest town has a thriving music scene, and every year in June they have a live music weekend where several pubs and bars feature live music, and the town is buzzing.

Also, as I stated before, the pub in my village is nothing like the OP's description.

@thenightsky that was the case here too. There used to be 2 pubs, a cafe, post office and garage (servicing/MOTs not fuel or shop). The PO closed then the cafe. The landlord of one pub got divorced and left so the brewery tried to get another manager and failed. They sold the pub to someone who wants to turn it into a "Boutique Hotel". There is hardly any parking and the locals are furious. It has been empty for 6 years.

Most people in the village are retired and really wanted a shop, so they raised the funds to get a portacabin and it started there. It is a community venture so apart from the manager and deputy, everyone else there is a volunteer. Enough money was raised to build a purpose built small shop in a corner of the Village Hall car park and it's doing well. Local gardeners/allotment holders donate spare produce for the shop to sell which helps boost profits. If you want something regularly, you just ask and they get it for you. They have been amazing at sorting out a neighbour delivering a newspaper for my dad on days when I'm working.

In 2022 the landlady of the other pub decided to retire. Having seen the success of the shop, she offered 1st refusal to the locals. We held a meeting and a plan was put forward and adopted. DH, DF and I all hold shares in the pub. There a few paid positions (chef, manager, cleaner, waiter) but the majority are volunteers. It opens 2 mornings per week for coffee, bacon rolls and home-made cakes. There are lots of widowed people who go in for a coffee and to chat with their friends. On Friday there was a game of Scrabble going on. They do lunch 5 days per week and dinner 4 evenings. The nights when they don't serve dinner, they have events such as live music, quiz, community supper or clubs. Sometimes they hold special events - in August it was curry night and the place was rammed. In October there is a beer festival. Or they have a tasting menu which is often amazing.

There are no sticky carpets - they were ripped out when the community bought it. There are no fruit machines as there is no space. They don't play music other than live acts or for the music round in the monthly quiz. You can hear yourself and others speak. There is a great range of non-alcoholic drinks. Like the shop, if you want something not on offer, ask and they will try to help.

When we took it over, we received plenty of help from other groups in the county who had done similarly. If you think it might work in your area, PM me.

That is very true, however the support for pubs has been lacking since Covid, wishing it dead is obnoxious and not going to achieve additional employment for less skilled workers, or growth in the economy. There are studies which show how important pubs are to the economy and to the community.

PP is correct - there is nothing homogenous about pubs.

The travel and hospitality industry have been done dirty by successive governments.

Well, hopefully those are the ones which remain and just the shitty ones get replaced with better venues.

So the problem was:
Regulars = community and friendship
drag acts/quizzes= community and entertainment
piss poor beer (you don’t like beer) = there was genuinely no other offering
being your your ex = errr perhaps you didn’t have anything in common
being dragged to the pub = you are aware you could have declined going?

At which point was the pub the biggest problem? And therefore why is it justification to want to close them all?

Not in my city OP! We have lovely pubs, mainly aimed at families during the day/early evening & serving food. Others do live music and are fun to go to for a night out... our local is a friendly place that let's the community hold free events, has a book club, and fun quiz night, supplies board games, has amazing Sunday roasts, and is a great place to have an early dinner with kids when we can't be bothered cooking...

Don't bother if you are going to comment. OP isn't interested enough to return after the first post! 🤯

What a stupid post 😂 OP - are you ok? Good weekend?!

I don't think theres anything much nicer than sitting in a beer garden with an ice cold lager on a hot day.

Yes! And it must have condensation on.

Two points;
One man's hovel is another man's palace
Also if you drink yourself into an early grave you make the chancellor very happy. My grandmother never drank so paid no alcohol taxes. She was in and out of hospital, 7 years in a dementia home and died at 99 after getting 39 years of pension. She single handedly nearly bankrupted the country. Her husband had a massive heart attack in his late 60's and cost the country nary a penny.

I don't drink & dislike pubs unless they are feeding me, lol, but lots of people do & I wouldn't want them to close because I'm not keen!

The pubs that fit your description probably will die out, and are arguably deserve to. The (many!) pubs around me that offer good food, pub quizzes and other reasons to visit, a sociable atmosphere and, yes, act as a community focus will be well-used and so will thrive.

Yay let’s celebrate businesses going under, people losing their jobs and their being nowhere left for people to meet up and socialise.

YABVVVVVVVVVVVVVU

I get the distinct impression that OP does not like 'Spoons !

Good priced food & drink, no sport constantly blaring out from TVs everywhere you turn.

I’m not glad.

That would mean my livelihood gone.

It would also mean:

The lonely widower that comes in every day for his 0% drink would have no-one in his life to talk to, look out for him, bring him dinner when he’s ill, throw him birthday parties or have people who just care that he’s there.

The single older people would have no one to meet up with for Sunday lunch

The local young bands/musicians would have nowhere to showcase their art at open mic nights because there’s nowhere else around here to do that.

24 people would lose their jobs. A job that fits around childcare/family/day jobs

the local yoga group wouldn’t have a big enough/cheap enough room to hold their classes

The older couples wouldn’t have a warm hub to go to to warm up, chat and have half a bitter and a lemon and lime

Thousands of pounds wouldn’t be raised for charity (£120k and counting!)

I could go on and on. Good Pubs are not just a place to get drunk. For some people they are a family, a support network and a lifeline. Also good pubs look out for people and know what’s going on in the community (good and bad)

Just because you don’t like pubs, doesn’t mean everyone else has to.

You have a very narrow minded view of pubs. For many people their local pubs may have been the only opportunity they had to actually talk to a person. The following are also great losses to communities just like the pubs. Banks, Post Offices, Libraries, Leisure cenetres, Small Cafes (many being priced out of existence)

No wonder more people of all ages are more depressed now than they have ever been. All of the above were low-cost places people could meet up with each other. The government couldn't give 2 hoots about the well being of its citizens.

👏👏👏👏👏

You need to find a better pub!! The pubs around here are wonderful and great food and atmosphere just to have a natter with friends and get out of the house, pub quizzes, live bands, pop up kitchens, comedy nights, brunch or roast dinners, beers in the garden, playing cards or board games so many good opportunities. What would be the alternative? More coffee shops? We already got plenty of those!! Or should everyone just stay home on their own??

Screw you 😭😭😭

My local is a wonderful, community-spirited place that puts on family events weekly, raises money for local causes and is just a very supportive place.

Just because you don’t like pubs, please don’t assume all who do are some kind of demographic you’ve created in your head.

So where are you wanting to”normal,ordinary” folk to go? arent you the privileged one… for 28 moths i have taken my alzheimers poorly dad daily to such places and let me tell you they have been a lifeline.. a hot meal, a social hub or just a coffee, they have kept dad and i “sane” .. you have alot to learn in life …..

We have many pubs locally where we go to meet friends, watch a band and have a few drinks, they are not hovels, nor full of drunk old men, some pubs in the town attract lots of young people to watch live music, or attend jam nights.

YABU to say you're happy that these businesses are closing. I'm not a pub goer, but lots of people are. They want the social side of it. My village pub opens in the evenings, but it also caters for weddings, funerals, etc, during the day and into the wee hours. It hosts a bikers weekend once a year, a women's walking club, the choir, an art class, social dancing, big matches on TV, you get the idea. Shane McGowan even used to drink there 😁

The owner is a gem of a man and the village would miss it if he has to close. The other village pub closed a few years back.

Sounds like you live in a pretty crappy area. Personally, I love the atmosphere in a decent pub, with good beer and food. Unfortunately, disappearing fast.