My 2ps... which are purely personal thougts - usual caveats apply!
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Mike4 wrote:Pubs that sell food are not doing either thing well, I don't find. Their food isn't as good as a restaurant and the beer isn't as good as a pub.
yep - my take as well Mike. When they charge £16 for fish and chips (which is potentially pre battered frozen fish anyway) they are on a par with a restaurant cooking from scratch, with fresh fish.
And pub curries - well once they charge the same as a sit down indian restaurant (or take away of course with attendant cheap s/market booze) - whats the point?
Mike4 wrote:These high street 'brewery tap' type places seem to be doing well. Previously high street shops, and now they sell only beer. No food other than peanuts and crisps, no wine or anything else poncy like that, just good beer. Really good beer. I drove past the one in Pewsey high street last year and it was rammed, with drinkers out on the street as it was so full.
"The Shed" - fantastic place, one of my favourite pubs for when I can convince one of my sons to drive occasionally
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. I would slightly disagree on the "poncy" stuff like wine - there usually is a wine option - it may not be a wide selection that's all. Such places have learned that if (generalising!) there isn't an option for the girlfriend/wife/mum/auntie then they lose the ale/cider drinkers
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Mike4 wrote:I feel sure this is were pubs have gone wrong, trying to be all things to all people and doing none of it all that well.
I would concur its part of it. there is a distinct aura of "try and be everything to everybody" - which ends up as being not much for many.
Food is seen/perceived as "the saviour" - but when "everywhere" does basically the same menu of pub grub at similar prices where is the interest for anybody to travel from village A to village B for the same thing? And now you have village pub A only selling food to villagers from A - especially if A isn't on a trunk road with passing traffic. And all those villagers aren't going to eat in their pub that often in reality. Tied houses <i>can</I> be a cash cow to the breweries/pubcos with a seemingly endless supply of redundancy payouts to suck up from new tenants with (WADR) misty eyes dreams of what running a village pub is like.
Its very interesting in a small brewery town like what where i live, with an active local CAMRA branch, of the four pubs in the GBG three of them are wet pubs; the fourth does really good food at very reasonable prices... but doesn't do the burger/fish/wrap/sandwiches and chips route ever, but limited but intriguing options. Only that pub of the four sells the local brewery's ale as well, but generally only one handle out of four ...