Ads not shown when logged in
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26

Thread: Definition of a pub

  1. #1
    Old & Bitter oldboots's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    5,588

    Default Definition of a pub

    From Pub Curmudgeon (http://curmudgeoncolumns.blogspot.com/):

    "Strictly speaking, if anyone can come in and have a drink without needing to buy a meal, it doesn’t qualify as just being a restaurant. However, I’d say there also needs to be a test of whether any meaningful number of people actually do, and whether non-diners are made to feel welcome."

    without opening old wounds, discuss.

  2. #2
    This Space For Hire
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Out West
    Posts
    3,033

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by oldboots View Post
    From Pub Curmudgeon (http://curmudgeoncolumns.blogspot.com/):

    "Strictly speaking, if anyone can come in and have a drink without needing to buy a meal, it doesn’t qualify as just being a restaurant. However, I’d say there also needs to be a test of whether any meaningful number of people actually do, and whether non-diners are made to feel welcome."

    without opening old wounds, discuss.
    Good point. I'd be hard pressed to call https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/63473/ a pub, with just drinking at the bar. And I have no truck for pubs where you walk in and see a sea of 'reserved' signs on tables, whether the prospective customer is eating or not. Why should we chance our luck visiting a pub, only to be told that we'll have to give up our seats in 10 minutes?

  3. #3
    Still about Mobyduck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Out saving pubs and enjoying it.
    Posts
    5,774

    Default

    We all will have an idea of what a proper pub is , unfortunately, or probably fortunately for the sake of diversity, we will have differing ideas.
    "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
    -W.C.Fields

  4. #4
    Pub researcher (unpaid) rpadam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Low Weald
    Posts
    4,945

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mobyduck View Post
    We all will have an idea of what a proper pub is , unfortunately, or probably fortunately for the sake of diversity, we will have differing ideas.
    Well said!

  5. #5
    I Keep Mine Hidden Delboy20's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Black Country
    Posts
    1,307

    Default

    I can hear the can of worms being opened !!


    I am a salmon !!

  6. #6
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    4,485

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by oldboots View Post
    From Pub Curmudgeon (http://curmudgeoncolumns.blogspot.com/):

    "Strictly speaking, if anyone can come in and have a drink without needing to buy a meal, it doesn’t qualify as just being a restaurant. However, I’d say there also needs to be a test of whether any meaningful number of people actually do, and whether non-diners are made to feel welcome."

    without opening old wounds, discuss.
    He seems to be trying to distinguish between a bar and a pub, not a straightforward task. I'd like to pick up on a couple of things. Most Wetherspoons are called pubs by the company itself. Some are much more pub like than others and not necessarily the ones based in former pubs. The only one I recall having an overwhelming feeling of being in a restaurant was this/ one and that may have been a one off. I wouldn't call all micropubs bars. Some definitely are more bar like and some more like small pubs. The thing that annoys me about the "proper" pub argument is that it rarely seems to take into account the quality and condition of the beer or the price. These are the most important factors for me and also obtrusive TV screens have no place in a proper pub.

  7. #7
    This Space For Hire
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Warwickshire
    Posts
    1,766

    Default

    As I think I said last time we had this discussion, it can vary by day.

    Q visited this pub a day or two before me and loved it. I walked away from a restaurant unrefreshed.

  8. #8
    Just Missed the Round
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    344

    Default

    I do find it interesting how the pub scene have changed over the years. The terms "gastro pub" and "micro pub" were unheard of 15 years ago (unless I lived under a rock at the time). Yes, of course many pubs did food, but the fancy dining experience offered by some pubs now used to be confined to restaurants.

    People's habits have changed too, and pubs have had to evolve to keep going. How many people now go to the pub to get pissed on their lunch break compared to the 80s? Many young people these days don't drink at all so never go into a pub except for a meal. The traditional wet led pub is becoming less common because in many cases that business model is not sustainable. It's a case of having to adapt or die, even if that is not always popular with people who want a "proper pub".

    We all have our own take on what makes a good pub too. For me and I suspect many people on here the availability of decent real ale is a big factor. Some people seem to hate Wetherspoon pubs, some love them, others are indifferent. But you can't argue that they are hugely popular and often the busiest pub in the area.

  9. #9
    This Space For Hire
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Out West
    Posts
    3,033

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RealAleRobUK View Post
    I do find it interesting how the pub scene have changed over the years. The terms "gastro pub" and "micro pub" were unheard of 15 years ago (unless I lived under a rock at the time). Yes, of course many pubs did food, but the fancy dining experience offered by some pubs now used to be confined to restaurants.

    People's habits have changed too, and pubs have had to evolve to keep going. How many people now go to the pub to get pissed on their lunch break compared to the 80s? Many young people these days don't drink at all so never go into a pub except for a meal. The traditional wet led pub is becoming less common because in many cases that business model is not sustainable. It's a case of having to adapt or die, even if that is not always popular with people who want a "proper pub".

    We all have our own take on what makes a good pub too. For me and I suspect many people on here the availability of decent real ale is a big factor. Some people seem to hate Wetherspoon pubs, some love them, others are indifferent. But you can't argue that they are hugely popular and often the busiest pub in the area.
    The Orange used to be a great boozer when as the Orange Brewery I last went there 20 years ago. When I first visited 31 years ago, it had its own on-site brewery where I first sampled porter, brewed in the cellar. The pub's website shows an altogether unrecognisable transformation.
    An article I posted some weeks ago from the Financial Times pointed out that traditional pubs shudder when a 'spoons opens nearby, which is why I always prefer to spend my cash in a traditional pub, ideally family-owned, to help keep them in business. It's an expensive act of 'charity' though...

  10. #10
    This Space For Hire Aqualung's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    4,485

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tris39 View Post
    The Orange used to be a great boozer when as the Orange Brewery I last went there 20 years ago. When I first visited 31 years ago, it had its own on-site brewery where I first sampled porter, brewed in the cellar. The pub's website shows an altogether unrecognisable transformation.
    An article I posted some weeks ago from the Financial Times pointed out that traditional pubs shudder when a 'spoons opens nearby, which is why I always prefer to spend my cash in a traditional pub, ideally family-owned, to help keep them in business. It's an expensive act of 'charity' though...
    I remember it too. The brewer when I visited was John Gilbert who went West to form the Hop Back brewery at the Wyndham Arms. I've been told that GFB represents Gilbert's First Brew.

Similar Threads

  1. Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Definition of a public bar
    By Blog Tracker in forum Blog Tracker
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 14-04-2016, 16:56
  2. Tandleman's Beer Blog - Craft Definition by BrewDog
    By Blog Tracker in forum Blog Tracker
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 13-03-2014, 13:54
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 21-10-2013, 13:40
  4. Cooking Lager - The definition of craft beer
    By Blog Tracker in forum Blog Tracker
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 14-11-2012, 18:44
  5. Woolpack Dave's Beer and Stuff - Bad definition
    By Blog Tracker in forum Blog Tracker
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-06-2011, 17:01

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •