Reason behind the death of the Irish Pub

IrishEyes19

Agree with all of the points made but heavily support number six made by the OP, enough people are dead due to drink driving. It's a small sacrifice for such a big cost. And the smoking ban, meh. Most establishments can invest in smoking rooms.

Degag

jetsonx wrote: »

The main problems:



2) Poor Customer Service - Frankly, there are way too many Irish people who
work in this industry who are rude and aggressive. At least, the Chinese and E. Europeans who work in this industry actually seem to care about the job they perform.

I have yet to meet a competant foreign national working in a bar. Alot of people mistake rudeness and aggresiveness for the barman simply being busy also. I know i certainly don't have time to have a chat when the bar is 5 deep.

JustAddWater

I was in wexford and pint of bulmers and a pint of bud was €8.20

You wouldn't get change from a tenner in Dublin. How is that possible?

Also bought a koppaberg in the czech inn recently and then went literally across the road and it was €1 dearer in Turks head

Someone explain please!

aidan24326

Ray Palmer wrote: »

The biggest thing is really the smoking ban all the other things had happened before.

This stuff about the smoking ban is nonsense. That might have hurt some of the rural pubs in the beginning alright (many of those will have smoking areas now though) but most pubs in the bigger towns and cities now have proper smoking areas, so that's no excuse. And for non-smokers, a majority don't forget, it surely makes the pub a more attractive place to go when you're not choking on second-hand smoke all night. So I just don't buy that one.

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Where in Dublin can you get a glass of wine or a beer in a cafe?

There are some cafes that do wine. Don't know any that serve beer though.

southsiderosie wrote: »

Are there BYOB laws in Ireland?

Not sure exactly what the laws are tbh, but there are places that offer that service, some with no corkage fee either. Just as one example Rotana Lebanese Cafe near Portobello has a BYOB policy, and there are others. Keshk Cafe is another one.

Richard Hillman

A lot of pubs are starting to do cheap pints like Bavaria, Tuborg and Tennants. There is a pub in Bray that was selling 2 pints of Bass for 5 quid. I dont go to a boozer unless it has a cheap pint. The price of bottles are ridiculous. Off licenses sell bottles of Bud, Heino and Miller for 1 euro but pubs sell them for around 5 quid. The mark up price for spirits is unreal as well.

jetsonx

Degag wrote: »

Alot of people mistake rudeness and aggresiveness for the barman simply being busy also. I know i certainly don't have time to have a chat when the bar is 5 deep.

I am mainly referring to the doorstaff. A few decent ones but most are boneheads who are completely tactless and give me the impression they are just out of the "the Joy".

Dyr

jetsonx wrote: »

The main problems:


1) Cultural Problem in the Industry - An industry which always taken its customers for granted as (up until now) there has never been any real competition to the drinking culture in Ireland.

2) Poor Customer Service - Frankly, there are way too many Irish people who
work in this industry who are rude and aggressive. At least, the Chinese and E. Europeans who work in this industry actually seem to care about the job they perform.

Dunno what boozers you're drinking in but chinese bar staff are reliably bad in my experience.

Rochie IRL

House prices during the boom had to be an issue.
People were borrowing up to their eyeballs, Both people in a relationship were working to pay the bills, what money that was left was used to furnish the house to a high standard and save for a holiday or the next 42" plasma tv. This meant that people simply couldn't afford to go drinking as much or nearly had to save a week or two and then go out.
During the 70's 80's One income was enough and allowed for regular drinking. That changed in the 90's. Now people on two incomes can struggle to survive so the pub is an expensive luxury.

tayto lover

The publicans put up the price whenever they felt like it especially after the budget if the Government left it alone. They are now reaping the rewards of their greed. Alcohol is far too expensive. 3e is enough for a pint especially when there is no atmosphere in many of the pubs anyway.

Happyman42

I put a lot of the blame on The Vintners Federation. Amateurs trying to run a countrywide organisation.
They are also a price fixing cartel. Locally, they engage in stringent price fixing (I ran a pub for a while) They 'visit' any pubs that engage in offering cheaper drink, Mafioso style.
I was plagued by them visiting the pub I was running. They even have the backing of the big drinks companies and threatened to have my pub blacklisted ('You won't be able to get Guinness etc. and they are able to carry out that threat on a local scale anyways, because I have seen it happen.)
Unfortunately they still haven't seen the light and they will blame it on loads of other things (smoking ban, drink drive crackdown etc etc etc)
It's greed that finished the Irish pub....full stop. Thank God I am now ....OUT.

Tim the Enchanter

My local is flying. Its in a very rural area albiet in a seaside location

Reasons why are:

1. The Publican. He and his wife treat both regulars and tourists right. Always gives time to say hello, ask a name etc

2. The price of drink. Heineken, Carlsberg €4, Guinness €3.70. Btl Cider €4.30.

3. Because it rural, the publican will drop home anyone that lives within an approx 6 mile radius, when ever they feel like going home.

4. He will throw out a few beers on the house to the regulars every so often. Keeps them sweet.

5. He gets all partys, funerals, days after weddings etc from all locals because of the above.

6. TV is only on for sports. He's doing breakfast for the rugby world cup so people that don't have sky can go early to watch the games.

All relatively simple things that keep people coming back

Damie

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Not really, "home drinking" is hardly a cultural improvement.

Who mentioned "home drinking"?

hatrickpatrick

The question is, WHY do pubs have to charge 4 or 5 times the price of a can in an off license? Obviously they will lose customers this way. Off licenses have to pay for employees, electricity, rent etc as well, so why the big difference? I fail to see what extra running costs a pub has which would justify a 4x price increase...

flas

ceadaoin. wrote: »

It's not mythical at all. Have you ever been to Paris? Where in Dublin can you get a glass of wine or a beer in a cafe?

last time i checked you can get tea and coffee in any pub where you can also purchase the wine and beer you seem so interested in! just stay away from the super pub sh!te and you should be fine!

and for people wondering about the BYOB places there is a good few around, there is a restaurant in longford that does this and it does be packed on thursday, friday and saturday nights every weekend...

Shane L

Diceys on a Monday 2.50 pints :cool: best prices around but only suitable times for students.Its all about price at the end of the day as a student i won't really bother going to the local if i don't have a few predrinks with friends beforehand....just too expensive.

VW 1

I have to say price issues etc aside, the reason I prefer to drink at home usually is that unless I go to a specialist pub such as Against the Grain, Porterhouse, usually the only beers on tap or in bottles are the premium brands. While I have no issue paying 4-5 euro for a pint of craft beer, or beers from around the world, I dont like to pay 4-5 euro for a pint I wont really enjoy drinking.

sock puppet

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

The question is, WHY do pubs have to charge 4 or 5 times the price of a can in an off license? Obviously they will lose customers this way. Off licenses have to pay for employees, electricity, rent etc as well, so why the big difference? I fail to see what extra running costs a pub has which would justify a 4x price increase...

What does a pub licence cost? They'd have to pay TV subscriptions as well, which is another huge cost. More staff and I'd imagine insurance is far higher too.

OPENROAD

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

(10) Most Irish pubs are rubbish.

Totally agree, have never got the great reputation of the "Irish Pub" ,suppose it is good that it has that reputation abroad, but I'm not a fan.

Terrible selection of beers, most pubs serve basically the same type of beers

southsiderosie

flas wrote: »

last time i checked you can get tea and coffee in any pub where you can also purchase the wine and beer you seem so interested in! just stay away from the super pub sh!te and you should be fine!

It's not just the tea/coffee issue (although most of the coffee in Irish pubs is ****e anyway). A place isn't just a cafe because they serve coffee. It's a place you go where you can have drinks, not to go to have drinks. I think that's the key difference, and why the dynamics of cafes and pubs are so different (although continental drinking culture is quite different anyway).

Happyman42

southsiderosie wrote: »

It's not just the tea/coffee issue (although most of the coffee in Irish pubs is ****e anyway). A place isn't just a cafe because they serve coffee. It's a place you go where you can have drinks, not to go to have drinks. I think that's the key difference, and why the dynamics of cafes and pubs are so different (although continental drinking culture is quite different anyway).

Give it a rest, you can't just wish for a 'cafe culture' (like the PD's did...remember the PD's???) and it will appear.
In Paris, Rome etc etc these places exist because.....wait for it....people want it...I.E. they are willing to pay for it. Far as I can see anyway they exist mainly as tourist traps.
The Irish socialite hasn't expressed a need for it, it doesn't suit us and we don't have the weather to invest heavily in outdoor - on street - cafes.

Ditch

Ah nuts wrote: »

As pubs get quiter people will stop going to them as there is nothing worse than going to an empty pub.

Dead right! I live a twenty euro round trip from my 'local' and go into town twice a week at the absolute maximum.

I religiously have two pints in the pub. I can't remember the last time I actually had a conversation in there though.

Landlord only has attention for the whack off big TV, tuned to sport ~ Any sport: And I'm not interested in sports.

Even on a Saturday, I've found myself sitting there, alone, bored and miserable, thinking, " Why the hell am I here?! ".

Now, my local Butchers shop? Wild craic! We chat and gossip and put the world to rights for ages! Maybe I should bring a couple of pints of my home brew in? Spend my time having a riot with Hugh?

7sr2z3fely84g5

Pubs are dying due to people's lack of spending.

We where quiet happy to pay over the odds paying into a nightclub or buying drinks during the good times.

Degag

Ditch wrote: »

Dead right! I live a twenty euro round trip from my 'local' and go into town twice a week at the absolute maximum.

I religiously have two pints in the pub. I can't remember the last time I actually had a conversation in there though.

Landlord only has attention for the whack off big TV, tuned to sport ~ Any sport: And I'm not interested in sports.

Even on a Saturday, I've found myself sitting there, alone, bored and miserable, thinking, " Why the hell am I here?! ".

Now, my local Butchers shop? Wild craic! We chat and gossip and put the world to rights for ages! Maybe I should bring a couple of pints of my home brew in? Spend my time having a riot with Hugh?

You get a €20 taxi just to have 2 pints?

Keith186

I can't afford to be spending that sorta money these days is part of the reason.

Another one is horrible pints on tap that give me a hangover after 4 of them!
Toilets are rotten in plenty of places too.

tippboi

I don't think the smoking ban effected pubs as much as people are saying 2 be honest.. most places have beer gardens now or a covered smoking area. also most people have a friend or 2 who smoke and they go out together and have a few puffs so i honestly don't think its a problem. Its a culture change. the young people go 2 towns etc to late bars/night clubs rather than their local these days. The closing times are a factor also(its ridiculous), Underagers not being able 2 stay in the pub after 9 o clock(i think its 9). Back in the day youngsters would go 2 the pub with the father for a few, dont see this anymore either.

Ditch

Degag wrote: »

You get a €20 taxi just to have 2 pints?

:eek: Lord, no! Well, alright, I have done But, to be truthful, that would have been when I'd got cabin fever. (I live alone, in the middle of rural no where and can easily not see a living soul till I hit town)

Worst of it is though ~ and this really illustrates the whole point: I get so desperate for a simple bit of social interaction, I decide, " Hell, yeah. I will shell out a score, just to buy a feed of expensive, tasteless bloody beer all night. At least I can have a chat! "

And, guess what happens? After two pints worth of grinding fucking misery and boredom, I decide I'd be happier at home, where I at least have my computer to express my thoughts on. And some excellent Home Brew

squod

Trophy to who ever said taxi first. Half of them should be locked up IMO.

Callan57

IMO it was in 2000 people finally had their eyes opened to the absolute greed of publicans .... deciding to charge a cover charge from customer's who had kept them in business for years. Many decided to hell with this lets stock up at the off licence & have a house party ... it worked well & has caught on. And it saved on babysitting.

As for the cafe bar idea not working ..... who would have said 20 years ago that Irish people would sit outside to eat or drink? Yet every cafe now has outside seating & it's used regardless of the weather. The Vintner's missed the boat on that one.

As with any business if you don't listen to their customer's and be ready to adapt & change ... they have no one to blame but themselves

FTGFOP

Happyman42 wrote: »

Give it a rest, you can't just wish for a 'cafe culture' (like the PD's did...remember the PD's???) and it will appear.

The way I remember it, it was the lobbying from the vintners that put paid to the new Café-bar licence.

daveharnett

In addition to all of the reasons listed, I would like to add: Volume.

Studies have shown that when the volume of music in a pub is too loud for comfortable conversation, people drink faster (for want of anything better to do). Publicans have picked up this ball and run with it.

I do my little best to prevent this and vote with my feet, but with groups of people that's be easier said than done. I usually end up spending the night in the smoking area where it's quiet enough to talk, braving the bar (maybe) once per hour.