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[phil her up]

In my travels I have seen more & more pubs closing, it started out in the sticks where many traditional pubs have been remodelled into restaurants ( stick a conservatory on the back) also many have been converted into Indian or Chinese restaurants this is happening in towns now. The smoking ban will be the final nail in the coffin of a great british tradition . therefore to save the pubs I feel it is our duty to visit as many as we can before its too late! So any members who want to save the Pubs put down your cans of Stella & get em in while you still can..............

[Markie]

I dont even know where "my local" is...

and the next big thing to be replacd gradually is .....the petrol station.

Read somewhere thre was 60% less now than in the 70`s due to supermarket petrol stations..

[IrmscherKris]

It's become a oppsing joke now, I used to go out (smoker) on Fridays with a couple of mates for few hours.... Not anymore. It is getting colder now - "who wants to come outside for a smoke?" Nope, no one.
I try and get wasted on a Friday in the house now. If you think its quiet now, wait, there hardly be any open this time next year.

[Martin_1962]

Why are pubs shutting down?

1) Price
2) Drink Driving
3) The de tied pubs from 1980s some great pubs closed down
4) When you have children a lot are unsuitable
5) Rise in chain pubs

THe smoking ban is an excuse they have been getting less popular for years

Ones which survive
1) Children friendly
2) Town pubs
3) Holiday area pubs
4) Ones with a good food connection
5) Ones which fill a requirement

Village pubs are most at risk from drink driving acceptabilty
A lot lost their clientel from being compulsary sold off and original land lords kicked out back in 80s then never recovered

[Marks DTM Calib]

Our local has got busier since the smoking ban but...

1) It has an excellent pint
2) It ahs low ceilings and poor ventilation so its a much nicer atmosphere now!

[Timbuk]

One very big point has been missed here, yup we can blame smoking bans and the price of beer, but the real issue is the breweries and the way they treat their Lanlords. From past experience i can assure you that Lanlords are being ripped off . Anyone with a Leasehold are in a no win situation. You take the lease on a pub with no trade, put your heart and sole into it, turn it round , make  a viable business out of it, start making a descent wage from it and then the brewery comes along and says ' Hey Mr Lanlord, you're doing very well, we're going to put up your rent to a ridiculous amout, what do you mean thats not fair, tough, pay up or ship out '
 I know this has happened to many many Landlords, myself included.

Also you are tied to them for buying your beer. You have to buy it from them so you pay their prices and thats final.

[Martin_1962]

I know someone who has been screwed by a brewery as well

[TheBoy]

I think I'm still barred from my local   - but then its one of those horrible estate pubs, more interested in food.

Fortunately, being an old market town that hasn't caught up yet, we have some 'old fashioned' pubs in town

I, for one, am not a fan of 'family friendly' pubs that concentrate more of food.  If I want to eat a meal, I'll go to a restuarant.  If I want an evening social drink, then a nice 'proper' pub is more my scene.

(Nothing against children in pubs, but certain 'chain' type family friend pubs seem to attract a clientel that allow their kids to run around uncontrollably causing a nuisance. This then becomes a spiral whereby 'social drinkers' such do not visit these pubs anymore).

[TheBoy]

I will also add, despite being a non-smoker, I am against banning smoking in pubs.  Yes, as a non smoker, it does make you clothes stink, and dries your throat, but I still think its wrong to ban it.

Probably the most vocal supporters were the people buying food in pubs.  Its a pub, not a rather restuarant  .

Next, the meal eaters will start complaining that the drinkers are too noisy or something, then they will ban drinking in pubs  

Think that is stretching it a bit far?  Check that the Government are slowly sowing the seeds of making drinking socially unacceptable - expect this to slowly ramp up, in the same way as smoking.  The smoking ban started on health grounds, and NHS costs.  Look now, and the Government are keen to quote figures about costs related to drinking.

[Martin_1962]

I think I'm still barred from my local   - but then its one of those horrible estate pubs, more interested in food.

Barred

[TheBoy]

I think I'm still barred from my local   - but then its one of those horrible estate pubs, more interested in food.

Barred

Long story...  ...basically lost my rag with the kid behind the bar, leaving, only in temper didn't realise that I left but a different entrance which was locked, so I kicked it open, causing all the 'old style' (even though its a new pub) iron work to come off in my hand.  Fortunately, there was a bin outside to put it all in.

And, no, I hadn't had a drink. Nor did I want one. I was after a meal for Mrs TheBoy and I, only the little pillock could not say what they had available (after saying I couldn't have my first 3 choices) as the till couldn't tell him  

[Varche]

Of course all this is a product of the Greed and PC cultures. One of the many reasons why I chose to leave Britain.

Things aren't all rosy in Spain by any means but rural petrol stations are still very evident and up until about 12 months ago the price of fuel was very much the same everywhere. No wondering if you could make it to Asda at Fosse Park or pay 10p a litre more at some struggling rural station!. Supermarkets here sell everything at much the same price as competitors. Very little evidence of the two for price of one type offers to get punters in. The exception is the largest supermarket business in Spain called Coviran. They have a few regularly changing offers and ONLY have small supermarkets ( bit like the old Co ops) in villages. Their prices are very similar to the big chains which seem to be foreign owned and only have a presence in the bigger towns and cities. Mrs Spaniard shops most days for stuff not once a week. Now why couldn't the Co-op in Britain have done that instead of squeezing prices up and up.?

Restaurants and bars do a good trade with reasonable prices. Life seems geared for people as opposed to making as much money from people as possible.

The down side is that customer service tends to be non existent. I go to the local surprisingly well equipped independent parts and accessories type place. "Have you got the sump gaskets for an automatic Omega? No. Could you get them? Spanish shrug - probably means no ( or take it to the Opel dealer to get them to do the job). Most businesses seem not to care whether their customers come back or not because they are making enough to survive nicely.

Spain had the EU directive on smoking like everywhere else. Bars and the like interpreted the rules. My nearest bar hasn't enough space to have smoking and no smoking areas so they balloted the regulars who of course all smoke. Outcome no change.

Give it ten years when the Spanish too will be paying huge taxes to fund the East European countries then it will all start to change.

olive    

[davlad22]

 

People look at you like you've crawled out of the gutter when entering our local  :-/

[IrmscherKris]

And, no, I hadn't had a drink.

The lad was quite lucky then!  

[TheBoy]

And, no, I hadn't had a drink.

The lad was quite lucky then!  

Actually, I go friendly when I've had a few....