Is the pub a thing of the past?

the beer revolu

I was a very frequent pub goer - most days, to be perfectly honest. I have three lovely locals and I enjoyed the company of the regulars ( could change bars, if I didn't) and staff.
I enjoyed the community aspect of it - people looking out for each other. I have lots of "pub pals" - people who I would only see in these bars - but they are still friends.
I only ever sat or stood at the bar. This is partially due to a bad neck that makes sitting on low chairs very uncomfortable for me but it has become the norm for me. I don't like sitting at tables in pubs.

If pubs come back with the social distancing rules being suggested, pretty much everything that I enjoyed about the pub will be gone.
I just won't bother going.

Is every one else the same?
Is there a future for pubs?

The only positive I can see is that there will be less drunkenness permitted in pubs.
Yes, I was a daily pub goer and drinker who doesn't enjoy the company of drunk people.

biko

When pubs open again it'll be a few weeks, then everything will be just as before.

Gael23

I’ve been doing Zoom calls every Saturday night and I think that’s more enjoyable than being around a table with 6 people and not even be able to use the toilet

Very few ae going to go to a pub with social distancing can you imagine what the atmosphere would be like plus some of the pubs in the center of Dublin are very small.

riffmongous

The pubs have reopened where I am and I've found I have no interest in going, just couldn't be bothered.

Gael23

Gael23 wrote: »

I’ve been doing Zoom calls every Saturday night and I think that’s more enjoyable than being around a table worth 6 people and not even be able to use the toilet

LOL good one

magic_murph

It will definitely be different - I used to enjoy a quiet pint on a friday evening sitting on the bar with just enjoying the comings and goings of the people around me and catching up on the news / messages on the phone.

I could easily do that sitting at a table but that could become tough as in if max is groups of 4 people per table will I be allowed to take up a table of 4 just on my own - as with the social distancing I wont be able to share that table with anybody else.

Granted some of the bigger pubs will have space for some two seater high tables but would't expect that to be the norm especially in the smaller rural pubs.

Similar to the OP my local is filled with older gents that only gather around the corner of the bar and never sit - I can't see them changing their ways.

I expect the Guardi will be doing regular checks, initially anyway, to ensure the bars are kept clear and the distancing rules are being followed.

I expect things to get back to normal again but that wont be for 12-24 months I would imagine then I wonder will people be just used to the new norm and accept it for what it is

dominatinMC

In short, no.
Your post is assuming that the current status quo is going to last indefinitely. That the "new normal" will be so forever. If that is to be the case, then there is a lot more businesses and industries at risk than the pub! Travel, sport, festivals, etc. will also all be a thing of the past. I can't see how this will be the future. At some point in time, there will be a vaccine, or people will just become more accepting of the virus, or it will die out (like the Spanish Flu), and things will begin to return to the "old normal". Obviously, I don't know when this will happen, but I believe that it eventually will (lots of promising news on the vaccine front lately). Generally, we are social beings, and want to interact, not sit at home on our own sipping a few cans. :pac:

dominatinMC

Gael23 wrote: »

I’ve been doing Zoom calls every Saturday night and I think that’s more enjoyable than being around a table with 6 people and not even be able to use the toilet

Each to their own, but give me actual human interaction rather than a screen any day of the week. Christ

Sky King

Gael23 wrote: »

I’ve been doing Zoom calls every Saturday night and I think that’s more enjoyable than being around a table with 6 people and not even be able to use the toilet

Drink a few pints of Guinness and you'll have no bother going to the toilet after them

the beer revolu

dominatinMC wrote: »

In short, no.
Your post is assuming that the current status quo is going to last indefinitely. That the "new normal" will be so forever. If that is to be the case, then there is a lot more businesses and industries at risk than the pub! Travel, sport, festivals, etc. will also all be a thing of the past. I can't see how this will be the future. At some point in time, there will be a vaccine, or people will just become more accepting of the virus, or it will die out (like the Spanish Flu), and things will begin to return to the "old normal". Obviously, I don't know when this will happen, but I believe that it eventually will (lots of promising news on the vaccine front lately). Generally, we are social beings, and want to interact, not sit at home on our own sipping a few cans. :pac:

But how many pubs will be left by the time some sort of social normality returns?
Same for restaurants.

I love food and enjoyed casually eating out regularly but I have no interest in takeaway. If I have to eat at home, I will just cook. I enjoy cooking.
I think fine dining restaurants will be fine but for me, that's a once or twice a year treat for me.

Baggly

Mod

CA thread for this topic here: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2058062423&page=25

Closing this one.