Opening of "No-Food" pubs pushed out again

Dickie10 wrote: »

Again i look on pure morbid curiosoty to just how long publicans will let themselves get walked on. everyone knows the government will keep the country in level 3 for all spring. they will be happy everything is open bar the pubs. this is crazy i actually cant see them opening pubs or allowing any crowd events in summer 2021. there will always be case numbers to be found and clusters here and there and God knows they will magic case numbers if they need to. Can see them bringing in huge restrictions on pubs and nightclubs going forward to , maybe no more late licences or something like 12 am shutting across the board at weekends, i think the genie is out of the bottle now, we need to be very careful what we let them restrict now they have gotten used to it.

So you think after covid has passed there'll be no late bars or nightclubs.... put down whatever your smoking, programme for government actually goes the opposite way with later opening hours and a move towards a more European model for late night venues.

They'll open as usual once a vaccine is in widespread use, until then it is what it is just make the best of it. Late night bars and nightclubs are an awful idea until a vaccine is in widespread use, as much as I'd like to be back in both we can't at the moment, the 10.30/11.30 closing is a compromise for the moment, better than nothing

I see from today’s Indo that only pubs with their own kitchen can reopen, so no more buying in food from a local restaurant or takeaway

Drifter50 wrote: »

I`d say that poster Dickie is correct, there is a agenda to close as many pubs for good as they can and to reduce the populations`s ability to drink alcohol as much as they can. They want to turn the pubs into cafes or in rural villages for them to become social centres and that is the overall plan. We can all see that and we must push back against this and get the pubs open.

Don't think that's their agenda. If they wanted to curb drink consumption, just task it to the hilt like the Scandinavian countries or like they do with the cigarettes.

Some pubs may close as a result of this but majority will survive. Owners may sell up due to lack of ability to finance their debts, but someone will just step in and take over the pub and keep it going. Similar to what happened during financial crash.

Looking increasingly likely that the pubs are going to open in some capacity over the Xmas period.

Anyone else buzzing for it?

MrStuffins wrote: »

Looking increasingly likely that the pubs are going to open in some capacity over the Xmas period.

Anyone else buzzing for it?

I'm hopeful rather than optimistic. Having that said I believe my local is gearing up to be open late in the month and is probably going to accept bookings from regulars only, which certainly I'd be overjoyed with as it's a small rural pub.

MelbourneMan wrote: »

There has been no decision made yet, but I would be very concerned is there is a yielding to lobbying pressure and they are let open.

Even the limited opening of pubs with their own facilities and chef for food brings what to my view are unacceptable risks.

Nah, it's safe as long as people don't act the b*llocks! It was grand during the summer. Social distance, table service, masks going to the toilet.......

I'm looking forward to it!

opinionated3 wrote: »

Good job it's only your view and not someone with influence.
I'm sure the employees and publicans will be delighted to get back earning their wages as normal.

the problem is theres too many panic artists like himself.

There is no Covid related logic to what they are doing. Zero. Firstly on the meal thing and now especially on the fact that the pub needs a kitchen and a chef. It holds absolutely zero reasoning for why it would prevent the spread of the Virus. Literally nothing. In fact, having more people in the work place is probably worse.

The Vintners cannot accept this laying down. They have been very weak on the whole thing. They will unforgiveably betray pub owners if they do not go for the nuclear option.

rubadub wrote: »

It's astonishing that people are still feigning ignorance about this coming out with the likes of such bullshit like "durrr, does food have antiviral properties...durrr". Do they think they look smart by making themselves out to be completely ignorant stupid cnuts?

I find it extremely hard to believe anybody who is dying for pubs to reopen has never heard and understood the phrase "eating is cheating", or has never had their own or others friends mammys try to "line their stomachs" with food knowing they are going on planning on getting shitfaced. Then these idiots attempt to take the rest of us for stupid cnuts claiming a meal will literally make no difference at all! who do they think they are kidding!?

If you can't make a valid point without resorting to abusive language, maybe it isn't that valid. Reported.

That's a straw man argument that dwarfs the Wicker Man.

Can you point out where everyone has been asking for pubs to be open so people can go out on massive session and get hammered? No? Didn't think so, haven't been too many examples of that.

The point is that pubs should be open, and should have been open, regardless of whether they serve food, under the same restrictions as restaurant and pubs that do serve food. (I notice Leo's gone very quiet on his promise that pubs would be treated the same way as other sectors.)

During the summer, that was for sittings of 1:45. Not too many sessions I've been on where people were absolutely hammered by then. I can't see how food is going to have an effect over that short a period (other than people actually ending up more inebriated by drinking faster to try to finish the drinks that were interrupted by the food).

Many of the pubs that did open partnered with a local takeaway or restaurant to serve food. There have been loads of posts on this thread (somewhat nonsensically) saying any pub could open because that was all they had to do. We even had that ridiculous regulation that a record had to be kept of what every individual ate. Yet apparently now that's not enough. So it's clearly not about ensuring food is consumed alongside alcohol.

Again, this isn't about all-night sessions of people getting hammered. They're gone for a while (apart the ongoing ones outdoors or in house parties). This is about allowing pubs to open so small group of friends can meet up and say hi over a couple of drinks. Or people living alone can go out and have a couple of drinks in a social setting with other human beings around, rather than sitting at home.

But but but but but .... they can do that in restaurants! They can if they can get a booking. Which people on their own are unlikely to get at this time of year. That also imposes a financial limitation (oh but but but people who can't afford meals out shouldn't be spending money on drink ... not any of our business how people choose to spend their own money).

But but but but but .... some people in pubs will go out to get hammered. Kick them out. If they get totally obnoxious and refuse to leave, call the guards. There's been regulations in place around that since 2001. I've also seen plenty of obnoxiously loud and drunk people in restaurants.

But but but but but .... some pubs will just totally ignore the rules! So close them, and object to their license renewal. Closing an entire sector on the assumption that some individual pubs won't follow rules is ludicrous. The same applies to any sector. We don't ban everyone from having cars because some people drink drive.

But but but but but .... Alcohol is evil. People drink too much. Close the pubs. That's a separate issue. We're in the middle of a pandemic, and supposed to be focused on dealing with that. Also, if you think people are drinking any less just because the pubs are closed you're in for a shock.

But but but but but .... All such indoor activities are too big a risk, all pubs and restaurants should stay closed. Leaving aside the issue that as pretty much everyone pointed out, people will still go out and socialise in a far less supervised or structured way (Not that I particularly believe the assertion that they've magically suddenly been able to trace the cause of the increase in autumn back to people drinking) the fact remains, admittedly surprisingly, the numbers don't bear this out. Restaurants opened the end of June, with food pubs following shortly afterwards as soon as they realised they could. Yet the numbers remained pretty much the same for the entire month of July before ramping up at the August bank holiday.


I find the whole argument pretty offensive, it's basically supporting the stereotype that the Irish are a bunch of idiot alcoholics incapable of controlling themselves. Ironically it's largely the same argument that was used against the opening of cafe bars 10-15 years ago, which would have been allowed open now. There are plenty of people capable of going out for a couple of quiet drinks.

LuasSimon wrote: »

Many pubs in Dublin are Gastro pubs so noone in Dublin should have difficulty having a few drinks over the xmas.

That's not much good to the remaining hundreds of businesses at risk of going bust. This isn't about people finding somewhere to have a few drinks, it's about letting businesses which closed voluntarily in March open 9 months later and operate responsibly.

Timmy O Toole wrote: »

I don't think pubs are to open in any capacity from what I am seeing it's only resteraunts with a chef and a kitchen .

Yeah but loads and loads of pubs have kitchens so they will be able to open, just like a lot of them were before.