Great piece! Really enjoyed it, and it's given me lots of food for thought.
It's a complex issue, why pubs are closing. From my decade or so in the drinks trade, this is my take:
There are still pubs that are absolutely thriving in the UK, BUT only because they have innovated and kept up with the times. Too many pubs are, to put it bluntly, crap. Bad quality booze, bad food, terrible atmosphere. There are myriad reasons for this and one of the main ones is that many of our pubs are "tied" to breweries which means they have to buy not just their beer, but often ALL of their booze from that brewery. These breweries often don't have much choice and they rip their pubs off. I saw a social media post a while back from a pub that showed the receipt for beer from their brewery compared to what they could buy it in a wholesalers and they were being charged three times the price.
The result is that many pubs are highly expensive for what you get. And that obviously doesn't fly these days.
Second, I've been to too many pubs (and know too many publicans) that simply don't care. They stick on 4 or 5 what we call "slosh" lagers, maybe if you're lucky a couple of local brews on cask and the worst wine you'll ever see from the cash and carry. And that's it. They'll tell you it's what their customers want, but frankly there aren't enough of them anymore.
I went to my parents-in-law local pub this Christmas and it was all Nescafe instant coffee and terrible beer and sexist sayings written on the walls. It wasn't very young-person friendly. As a Millennial, I don't buy that we don't drink! We absolutely do. But many of us are looking for quality. Tap rooms linked to craft breweries are thriving right now, as are the sort of wine shop / bar hybrid that I owned. Most pubs simply don't offer that quality, and often the prices for the crappy lager are the same (there or thereabouts) as the craft brewery down the road, so we head there.
There are pubs that have made it work. Good food, a good wine list, good beer (most of them are not tied to a brewery so they have more freedom but there are exceptions). Next time you're in London you should check out my friend's place The Draper's Arms in Islington - it's an amazing example of what a good pub can look like. There's also the Sun Inn in Dedham, Essex and the most famous pub of them all, The Sportsman in Kent.
As for the smoking ban and France booze cruises, I think these are far too long gone to make any kind of difference. The ban happened nearly 20 years ago! And French booze cruises haven't worked in many years thanks to the rising cost of the tunnel, ferries and petrol, and was only ever available to people living in the South of England anyway.
Personally, I'm sad the pubs are closing across Britain. Like all Brits, they were (and still are when I'm in the country) a big part of my life. You're right, as an institution, they're amazing. But in many cases, they could do better.
100% agree with this sentiment. A lot of the pubs closing are/were pretty awful. The tied taps arrangement with breweries would surely be deemed anti-competitive and illegal in any other market and ruin plenty of what-could-be-nice pubs. The point about quality is so true - my housemates and I (all millennials) would never go anywhere that didn't sell decent beer. £5.50 for a pint of Dutch swill? No thank youuuuuuuu!
And the winner for the most thoughtful long-form response is.....You!
Seriously, thanks for all of the input and insights. It's great to know the additional reasons those pubs are suffering. Not sure if it's just luck or whether it's London, but most of the pubs I ventured into seemed like really wonderful spots. Several made me want to grab my book and curl up on a couch to read.
As for Millennials drinking, oh, I know you guys do. The article I cited just said they drink less and want a better quality of product, something else Millennials have gotten right!
Ha give me any article on the drinks trade and I can talk about it for days - it was my job for so long.
You're right, some pubs are absolutely wonderful - many in fact. We're very lucky to have them as part of our culture. Oof it's making me miss the UK (a tiny bit!)
Having just spent two months there I can there are many wonderful things about the UK, but, man, they are going through a tough time right now. Especially London with all of the horrid transit strikes...
Really enjoyed reading this and thinking about my father-in-law, who loved going down to watch court proceedings in Nottingham, where he spent his entire life, and going to the pub after.
Charlie Brown’s analysis here seems pretty accurate. The forced deal with breweries always seemed absurd to me (like car dealerships and chicken growers in the U.S., horribly monopolistic), but the quality has got to be a factor. I love going to British pubs. But it’s not very attractive to contemplate crap beer and a plate of dried-out gammon and pineapple.
But I’ve never been to a themed one--sounds fun! And I really enjoyed the way you wrapped in interviews with Mike and Annette.
Glad you managed to see The George, which, in my opinion, is the best pub - and possibly the oldest (it's contested) - in London. The Rabbithole is also great - I actually used to live not far from there, over in Tooting.
As a (now-ex) Londoner and Brit, I don't think we have too much to worry about regarding the long term health of pubs. The stats about closures don't make for great reading, but pubs remain the great touchstone of British culture, even among millennials, and that's not going to change anytime soon. Now I'm off nomad-ing around Europe myself, the thing I miss most about home are pubs. You're absolutely right when you say they are the extension of home - the best pubs feel like you're in your own living room. Bars just aren't the same.
Now that you mention it - I can't believe their isn't a Harry Potter themed pub either! Definitely a missed business opportunity there, not that I'd want to drink there myself!
I'm glad you're more optimistic. Several of my local friends obviously were not. I think that if we were ever to live long-term in the UK, I would definitely find a local pub to call home.
And I love that you know the Rabbit Hole! We had it entirely to ourselves the afternoon we were there, so I hope it's not in trouble!
I love pubs, especially in small towns. In the Lake District in 2019 I stayed in a nice small hotel which had a pub at one end where I tried 2 or 3 local brews and had maybe the best roast lamb of my life. In 1988 I stayed in a pub/hotel near Blenheim Palace where I had a similar amazing dinner and a wonderful breakfast.
Great piece! Really enjoyed it, and it's given me lots of food for thought.
It's a complex issue, why pubs are closing. From my decade or so in the drinks trade, this is my take:
There are still pubs that are absolutely thriving in the UK, BUT only because they have innovated and kept up with the times. Too many pubs are, to put it bluntly, crap. Bad quality booze, bad food, terrible atmosphere. There are myriad reasons for this and one of the main ones is that many of our pubs are "tied" to breweries which means they have to buy not just their beer, but often ALL of their booze from that brewery. These breweries often don't have much choice and they rip their pubs off. I saw a social media post a while back from a pub that showed the receipt for beer from their brewery compared to what they could buy it in a wholesalers and they were being charged three times the price.
The result is that many pubs are highly expensive for what you get. And that obviously doesn't fly these days.
Second, I've been to too many pubs (and know too many publicans) that simply don't care. They stick on 4 or 5 what we call "slosh" lagers, maybe if you're lucky a couple of local brews on cask and the worst wine you'll ever see from the cash and carry. And that's it. They'll tell you it's what their customers want, but frankly there aren't enough of them anymore.
I went to my parents-in-law local pub this Christmas and it was all Nescafe instant coffee and terrible beer and sexist sayings written on the walls. It wasn't very young-person friendly. As a Millennial, I don't buy that we don't drink! We absolutely do. But many of us are looking for quality. Tap rooms linked to craft breweries are thriving right now, as are the sort of wine shop / bar hybrid that I owned. Most pubs simply don't offer that quality, and often the prices for the crappy lager are the same (there or thereabouts) as the craft brewery down the road, so we head there.
There are pubs that have made it work. Good food, a good wine list, good beer (most of them are not tied to a brewery so they have more freedom but there are exceptions). Next time you're in London you should check out my friend's place The Draper's Arms in Islington - it's an amazing example of what a good pub can look like. There's also the Sun Inn in Dedham, Essex and the most famous pub of them all, The Sportsman in Kent.
As for the smoking ban and France booze cruises, I think these are far too long gone to make any kind of difference. The ban happened nearly 20 years ago! And French booze cruises haven't worked in many years thanks to the rising cost of the tunnel, ferries and petrol, and was only ever available to people living in the South of England anyway.
Personally, I'm sad the pubs are closing across Britain. Like all Brits, they were (and still are when I'm in the country) a big part of my life. You're right, as an institution, they're amazing. But in many cases, they could do better.
Love this take!
100% agree with this sentiment. A lot of the pubs closing are/were pretty awful. The tied taps arrangement with breweries would surely be deemed anti-competitive and illegal in any other market and ruin plenty of what-could-be-nice pubs. The point about quality is so true - my housemates and I (all millennials) would never go anywhere that didn't sell decent beer. £5.50 for a pint of Dutch swill? No thank youuuuuuuu!
And the winner for the most thoughtful long-form response is.....You!
Seriously, thanks for all of the input and insights. It's great to know the additional reasons those pubs are suffering. Not sure if it's just luck or whether it's London, but most of the pubs I ventured into seemed like really wonderful spots. Several made me want to grab my book and curl up on a couch to read.
As for Millennials drinking, oh, I know you guys do. The article I cited just said they drink less and want a better quality of product, something else Millennials have gotten right!
Ha give me any article on the drinks trade and I can talk about it for days - it was my job for so long.
You're right, some pubs are absolutely wonderful - many in fact. We're very lucky to have them as part of our culture. Oof it's making me miss the UK (a tiny bit!)
Having just spent two months there I can there are many wonderful things about the UK, but, man, they are going through a tough time right now. Especially London with all of the horrid transit strikes...
Wonderfully researched article! I will definitely check out the Rabbit Hole. AinW trivia is a minor passion ever since I played her in high school.
Thanks so much! The Rabbit Hole might be a bit of a trek, but I really enjoyed it!
I loved the article you just wrote about the UKs pubs. Can’t wait to visit them the next time I am in the UK!
Thanks! I'm pretty sure you'll love them too!
Really enjoyed reading this and thinking about my father-in-law, who loved going down to watch court proceedings in Nottingham, where he spent his entire life, and going to the pub after.
Charlie Brown’s analysis here seems pretty accurate. The forced deal with breweries always seemed absurd to me (like car dealerships and chicken growers in the U.S., horribly monopolistic), but the quality has got to be a factor. I love going to British pubs. But it’s not very attractive to contemplate crap beer and a plate of dried-out gammon and pineapple.
But I’ve never been to a themed one--sounds fun! And I really enjoyed the way you wrapped in interviews with Mike and Annette.
Thanks, Antonia. Glad you enjoyed!
Glad you managed to see The George, which, in my opinion, is the best pub - and possibly the oldest (it's contested) - in London. The Rabbithole is also great - I actually used to live not far from there, over in Tooting.
As a (now-ex) Londoner and Brit, I don't think we have too much to worry about regarding the long term health of pubs. The stats about closures don't make for great reading, but pubs remain the great touchstone of British culture, even among millennials, and that's not going to change anytime soon. Now I'm off nomad-ing around Europe myself, the thing I miss most about home are pubs. You're absolutely right when you say they are the extension of home - the best pubs feel like you're in your own living room. Bars just aren't the same.
Now that you mention it - I can't believe their isn't a Harry Potter themed pub either! Definitely a missed business opportunity there, not that I'd want to drink there myself!
I'm glad you're more optimistic. Several of my local friends obviously were not. I think that if we were ever to live long-term in the UK, I would definitely find a local pub to call home.
And I love that you know the Rabbit Hole! We had it entirely to ourselves the afternoon we were there, so I hope it's not in trouble!
I love pubs, especially in small towns. In the Lake District in 2019 I stayed in a nice small hotel which had a pub at one end where I tried 2 or 3 local brews and had maybe the best roast lamb of my life. In 1988 I stayed in a pub/hotel near Blenheim Palace where I had a similar amazing dinner and a wonderful breakfast.
We need to go back and have a roast dinner one night!