The pub loses its pulling power

Biggins

irishgeo wrote: »

60c for the small bottles, 2.50 is the average price of a mixer in the pub.

thats a 315% markup. if my maths are correct.

jesus chirst.

Some Dublin centre places (near the Dail and surrounding area) still charge over €4 for a mineral.
I do not pay it and walk away from such stupidly priced places.

Fromthetrees

I fucking hate the argument constantly being made that people drink less and much more responsibly in the pub than at home, and that having a bar man to monitor peoples drinking ensures nobody gets too drunk compared to being 'unsupervised' at home, it is the biggest load of bullcrap I've ever heard, personally speaking I have never once drank 'too much' at home, why, because I buy what I want and need and drink in such a relaxed atmosphere whereas the amount of times I've drank 'too much' while out in a pub or club is actually quite frightening, why, because you can lose the run of yourself, forget how much you're after, start having shots with friends or get into a round. Made up points really piss me off. :mad:

ART6

murpho999 wrote: »

Sorry but this is all a load of ****e.

In my opinion, the smoking ban has been good for pubs and people are totally used to them.
Certainly seems more appealing to me than sitting a smoke filled, smelly living room.
Also, there is absolutely no justification for Drink Driving. It's not political correctness gone mad.
People were being killed, and since introduction of Drink Driving laws, there has been a rapid fall in road deaths.

I don't believe you that you said you limit yourself to a couple of pints! That's when you think 'Sure I'm grand I'll have another one'.

Also, if drink wasn't the issue for you then why did you stop going to the pub?

To address your disbelief, I have been driving in Europe, USA, UK and Ireland for fifty years with a clean licence, never having even won myself a parking ticket. I drive a high performance car. When I say that I would have a couple of pints and then stop, that is exactly what I did. You can believe what you like.

Nowadays, if I have had a few drinks at home the night before (more than I would have had if I had gone to the pub) I will not get into my car until afternoon, or not drink the night before if I have to go somewhere. This is not because I see myself as a danger on the roads, but rather because I don't want to blemish my record or fall foul of some other lunatic who doesn't have to be drunk to be a danger, and get breathalyzed for being the innocent party.

The drink driving laws were, in my opinion for what (as an inexperienced (?) driver) it's worth, were invented by politicians who, as usual, took the simplistic solution to attempts to discourage the homicidal idiots who would get stoned out of their skulls and then drive. Those people are still out there!

Equally, had the smoking ban been thought through there would have been nothing to stop a pub (as many did before that) have a smoking and a non-smoking lounge. My local pub had such. However, it suited Mr. Martin's missionary zeal to crack the nut with a sledgehammer as usual.

And I don't go to the local pub because it closed last year. It did so because I and many others simply stopped going there -- in my case a few years ago now. Read my post before you criticise!

irish_goat

ART6 wrote: »

Equally, had the smoking ban been thought through there would have been nothing to stop a pub (as many did before that) have a smoking and a non-smoking lounge. My local pub had such. However, it suited Mr. Martin's missionary zeal to crack the nut with a sledgehammer as usual.

The smoking ban was not brought in to protect consumers, it was brought in to protect the staff who had to work in smoky rooms several hours a day, several days a week.

WoollyRedHat

The cluelessness from some outfits in this country is absolutely laughable.
You would swear that Dublin is the only country in the world that has a pub trade. NEWSFLASH: Ireland isn't the only country feeling a recession... stop pretending that we are.

They are a dinosaur outfit, living in a deluded bubble mindset and they have no place in the 21st century, who seek to blame everything and anything while refusing point blankly to address the core of the problem

They should be disbanded and start afresh with people who have fresh ideas and a sense of reality who are open to change because these lot take people for fools and shouldn't have any say on matters. They are a cartel. Stop living in the past, people have copped on and that's a good thing.

The days of robbing people blind are well and truly gone and if they can't get over this then tough.

Tomk1

Auvers wrote: »

I agree with most of your post except with children in pubs, a pub is no place for a child

Wasn't sure I would add that part, it's just after growing up in a rural area, where the pub had a games room, pool and arcade games, not sitting in the corner watching people get drunk. Even on weekend nights when there was music on, use to go down with them for an hour or so, maybe somewhat cringewordy seeing Brenden Shine, ah twas great memories.

I realise there are two sides and it was abused by many, so don't want to derail the thread.
- - -
I do think the whole pub cultutre did change from a family/community/entertainment place into a profit-business, and basically it's sole purpose then was the sale of alcohol.

Maybe it's just me, but I found most pubs plain boring, sometimes the most interesting thing was the clock on the wall.

ART6

irish_goat wrote: »

The smoking ban was not brought in to protect consumers, it was brought in to protect the staff who had to work in smoky rooms several hours a day, several days a week.

OK, but I don't recall that there was ever a law that required someone to work in a pub, any more than there was one requiring non-smokers to enter one. In fact, in many Waterford city pubs, when the ban first came it, it was possible to wait some time to be served as half the bar staff were outside having a fag:D

WoollyRedHat

Bear in mind, Ireland is not unique to having a smoking ban in pubs either.

Sacred_git

drinking at home is alright with a few mates but its nice to get out and about, have a few drinks, talk to new folk, or not talk to new folk but you can feel the presence of life out and about, however the price of a pint is crazy and the bizarre thing is, the pricier the pint the more the quality appears to deminish, mcGowans of Phibsboro springs to mind - rank pints at expensive prices. However there are some pubs be it old skool or not where you get a lovely pint for an honest price(in this day and age here) - i tend to give these my/our business!! Be true to yourself people and you will never fall

irish_goat

ART6 wrote: »

OK, but I don't recall that there was ever a law that required someone to work in a pub, any more than there was one requiring non-smokers to enter one. In fact, in many Waterford city pubs, when the ban first came it, it was possible to wait some time to be served as half the bar staff were outside having a fag:D

There's no law that says you have to work anywhere but plenty of different industries still have health and safety laws.

liffeylite

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

Diceys do €2 a drink, any drink on Tuesday €3 on Wednesday and €4 on thursday with a fiver on the door and it is WEDGED from about 7.30 on every day.

Its ALL about price.

Completley agree with this. Dublin is a big place with 300000 18 to 35 year olds, many of whom do like pubs and bars. They dont however like to be ripped off. Charge a fair amount and you will get herds of people all week. I guess the problem with this is the amount pubs and other retail outlets have to pay in rent. When rents are lower, you can charge less for your product. It is interesting to see how many pubs and bars reopen under new rent contracts and then do well as they can price their food and drink fairly.

In the last 6 months pubs that have opened in the city.centre

Mcgowans harolds cross
Handels thomas street
Cassidys westmoreland st
Osullivans westmoreland st
Inn on the green leeson st
Parnell, parnell st
Black sheep capel st
Kavanaghs dorset st
Within last 12 months Lafayette oconnell bridge, workmans club temple bar, gypsy rose temple bar, kitchen temple bar, off the top of my head. There are others too.

I would say there are more pubs and bars in central dublin that there was 2 or 3 years ago.

Country and smaller towns though, its a different story.

pebbles21

How about a pub that that has an Off License inside instead of a Bar,selling Cans,bottles etc at a slightly higher price than a regular off license to offset costs?
Seen this on holidays somewhere ...it was a off license with a big beer garden ...place was packed all the time

Jay D

Communions and Christenings that end in pubs are complete and absolute selfish skank parents. Just thought I'd say that.

mikemac1

pebbles21 wrote: »

How about a pub that that has an Off License inside instead of a Bar,selling Cans,bottles etc at a slightly higher price than a regular off license to offset costs?

You'll have a fine time explaining this one to the District Court judge

Edit, I don't claim to know the legal issues, just sounds dodgy to me

constitutionus

thats the funniest damn article ive read in ages !

its cost dumbass.

if a pint was 3.50 i'd be back in regularly, but in some pubs theyre not only charging 4.80, theyre putting the fecking prices UP.

The majority of pubs in dublin that are closing are doing so not becuse people are fecking off, its because they leaveraged themselves into extinction.

if they'dve stuck with their humble pub they'd still be fine. but no they had to mortgage that place to build a goup of superpubs designed by them to "maximise profits" but ultimatly were fecking souless dives people left in their droves when the boom burst.

now they have to charge a fiver a pint to break even and no one with a brain is going to pay that.

take myself.

were off tonight with the gang, but were not heading out till 10 at least and having a few at one of the girls first.

even then its to a nice local place that does a deal on a few bottles for a certain price.

what really needs to happen in the pub trade is all the muppets need to go bankrupt and their pubs sold to people who KNOW how to run a business and start charging decent prices again.

Doc Ruby

Would you download a pint? Drink sharing is doing legal drug dealers out of business!

Its funny really, the original version of the pub was the "public house", a residence where people would go have drinks with their friends, so it seems we've come full circle.

In fairness good riddance to them, the notion of sitting wedged in with hundreds of strangers while being barely able to chat due to the volume of noise from the match on telly/band/dj holds no appeal for me.

pebbles21

mikemac1 wrote: »

You'll have a fine time explaining this one to the District Court judge

Edit, I don't claim to know the legal issues, just sounds dodgy to me

Whats dodgy about it?....just have a bar without the taps and measures ..give out plastic glasses ...seen it work in some resort(cant think where it was)

mikemac1

Cans and plastic glasses in an Irish pub?

Sounds like a hole of a place and I'm no snob

pebbles21

mikemac1 wrote: »

Cans and plastic glasses in an Irish pub?

Sounds like a hole of a place and I'm no snob

They serve plastic glasses at Shelbourne Park and its not a hole ...

ART6

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

Bear in mind, Ireland is not unique to having a smoking ban in pubs either.

Indeed! Personally I don't really care either way since I no longer go into pubs. The only reason I ever did was for the social life, not the drink. Now, as others here have said, even if I still had a local pub I would prefer not to pay the outlandish price of a night out. Fifty yoyos for a couple of rounds with friends would buy a lot of beers for consumption at home.

However, as I said earlier, it looks like our esteemed political leaders are set to price us out of that too:D

Cantona's Collars

A typical case of a good pub gone bad is one in Enniscorthy I used to drink in.It had a one out,one in policy from Thursday through Sunday nights because it was so busy.
Problem was failure to adapt to customers needs and resting on their laurels.Custom dropped and with that the money that was needed to upgrade the place.I haven't had a drink there in 2 years now.
Rising drink prices had led to the younger crowd staying home and drinking before hitting a club or just hosting house parties.These were the life blood of pubs and weren't afraid to splash the cash during the boom,but now they haven't got that cash and the publicans still charge boom time prices.Although I notice that those who still go for a pint have started drinking €3 pints of Tuborg or Bavaria instead of the big name brands.

Publicans are the only breed who called for price hikes to combat falling customer numbers-doesn't make any sense.
TGIF is gone for many as they are unemployed and the pint at the end of a working week is a thing of the past and putting food on the table is more important.Even going to a pub for a match has taken a hit,nearly everyone has a big screen tv these days and many are like me,they prefer to spend their cash on SkySports at home than pissing it up against a wall.

bleg

Pubs are usually crap to watch matches in. Drunken idiots shouting in your face.

mikemac1

Or two screens in a pub with two different feeds a few seconds apart

Would wreck your head if the other screen was a few seconds ahead of yours

df1985

The good pubs are surviving and adapting to the change.

My local was a pub that during the celtic tiger didnt have to make much effort, music was ****e, wasnt comfortable but it was still packed.

Then the cruch hit and they were suffering. instead of admitting defeat, they revamped the pub, made an effort with the music, made one of the best smoking areas ive ever seen. they have great live bands before a dj at the weekend. before it was the same old man playing the same ****e. its mobbed again and recently been extended and done up...again! its no longer the local for my town but people come from neighbouring towns for a night in it.

Survival of the fittest.

bleg

If you go to a pub in Belgium you'll get a wide range of drinks available. In Ireland you've got Heineken or Carlsberg which both taste pretty much the same. There are exceptions. Look at the bierhaus in cork. It does a great trade.

liffeylite

df1985 wrote: »

The good pubs are surviving and adapting to the change.

My local was a pub that during the celtic tiger didnt have to make much effort, music was ****e, wasnt comfortable but it was still packed.

Then the cruch hit and they were suffering. instead of admitting defeat, they revamped the pub, made an effort with the music, made one of the best smoking areas ive ever seen. they have great live bands before a dj at the weekend. before it was the same old man playing the same ****e. its mobbed again and recently been extended and done up...again! its no longer the local for my town but people come from neighbouring towns for a night in it.

Survival of the fittest.

Which pub? :-)

Spiritofthekop

Anyone else notice when you go into an Irish pub and inquire about what they have on tap that most bartenders give it the "well have a look" which is fair enough I normally do but the worst part about it is in the Irish pub its when you ask how much a couple of those beers you have on tap actually cost? They either dont know or the cant believe your actually asking them how much a pint of some german beer they have on tap is compared to the usual heineken or carlsberg they have on tap!!!...Its like how dare you ask how much it costs look? either you order or get out as im to busy to give a **** about you looking for good value! Its an Irish pub your getting ripped off one way or the other so dont even ask!

An Irish Pub expects you to order drinks & just had over the money you have close to 20 or 50 euro if its over 3 drinks and they just give you the change.....but if you dare ask how much it will cost for 2 pints and a vodka and white pre ordering they give you a look to say "are you seriously asking me how much that will cost" and will in a mood walk over to the machine bang on the touch screen then normally snarl back the price with there back to you!

This happens a lot of the time!

It unbelievable...every pub should have the price clearly shown in front of every tap so people know what they are paying!....ITS THE LAW!

Ive always found this astonishing in Irish pubs!....thank god i stopped regularly going a long time ago & enjoy drinks with friends at home.

privacyconcern

bluewolf wrote: »

they can fcuk right off with their stupid propaganda pieces tbh

if "price isnt a factor" why have you been lobbying the govt to raise supermarket prices?
lying fcukers

Pubs that overcharge can fcuk off, but do you actually realise how much it really costs to run a small pub on a monthly basis? Publicans in rural areas have been hit pretty hard because of the recession. The lobbying is dubious, but then again, running a pub garners very few perks. Self employmed firms in this country that aren't Corporations are treated like scum. You can't even claim the dole if you are self employed!

The problem with this lobbying runs deeper. There is barely an incentive to run a pub in Ireland these days if people are drinking at home. Would you like to see the pub resigned to the dust bin of history? It's going to end up that way soon I guess. People would prefer to see pubs removed from Irish culture by spending their money in foreign supermarkets like Tesco, ALDI etc.

I suspect this attitude towards "fcuk the publicans, c3nts" would not be so prevelant had the recession not taken a stronghold. Irish people loved the pub when times were good and they had two pennies to rub together. We live in precarious times. The destruction of culture in favour for the police state is afoot:D

Biggins

privacyconcern wrote: »

Pubs that overcharge can fcuk off, but do you actually realise how much it really costs to run a small pub on a monthly basis? Publicans in rural areas have been hit pretty hard because of the recession. The lobbying is dubious, but then again, running a pub garners very few perks. Self employmed firms in this country that aren't Corporations are treated like scum. You can't even claim the dole if you are self employed!

The problem with this lobbying runs deeper. There is barely an incentive to run a pub in Ireland these days if people are drinking at home. Would you like to see the pub resigned to the dust bin of history? It's going to end up that way soon I guess. People would prefer to see pubs removed from Irish culture by spending their money in foreign supermarkets like Tesco, ALDI etc.

I suspect this attitude towards "fcuk the publicans, c3nts" would not be so prevelant had the recession not taken a stronghold. Irish people loved the pub when times were good and they had two pennies to rub together. We live in precarious times. The destruction of culture in favour for the police state is afoot:D

One way or another, in one place or another, successfully better run pubs WILL survive.
A lot of people have for one reason or another just kopped on (thankfully) that life just doesn't have to be too revolved on an equally too regular basis sometimes, over a barstool and counter.

Bars will survive in some fashion in Ireland have no fear, just for the foreseeable future their interaction with humans and their wish to remain a sociable creature with others, will be lessened so.
To be honest, its not necessarily a bad thing.

arse..biscuits

Jay D wrote: »

Communions and Christenings that end in pubs are complete and absolute selfish skank parents. Just thought I'd say that.

What a strange thing to say. Firstly, your sentence doesn't make sense but also every christening I have ever heard of has been in a pub.