extortion

[gallsman]

You could have googled it in the time it took to type.

A Norn Iron hospitality group. Hotels, restaurants, pubs, bistros etc. Considerably upmarket. The Merchant the jewel in the crown.

[Tony Baloney]

who, or what, is Beannchor

Bill Wolsey and family.

Merchant, Bullitt, Dirty Onion, The National, Little Wing pizzerias...

[toby47]

who, or what, is Beannchor

Bill Wolsey and family.

Merchant, Bullitt, Dirty Onion, The National, Little Wing pizzerias...

And a hotel in Dublin incoming?

[Milltown Row2]

who, or what, is Beannchor

Bill Wolsey and family.

Merchant, Bullitt, Dirty Onion, The National, Little Wing pizzerias...

And a hotel in Dublin incoming?

He owns other bars which are leased out?

[general_lee]

So why is a pint in Belfast £6+?
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?

Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.

There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.

Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.

Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.

Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.

I was in Belfast over the weekend and plenty of hoardings up around construction sites for new "coming soon" bars, restaurants etc. You'd think Belfast is a saturated market but business owners must think there is profit to be made from the tourist sector in particular.

They'll be heavily backed by whatever group they're owned by so not as much risk attached, compare that

So why is a pint in Belfast £6+?
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?

Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.

There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.

Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.

Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.

Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.

Bollocks

As someone pointed out, Beannchor Group posted a 5m (net... I repeat net) profit after tax on a 28m turnover in 2022.

They are printing money

And wanting an already underfunded BCC to put the cherry on top

Beannchor are the cabal. They can set prices to whatever they want in their establishments and people will pay it. A few others often follow suit but that's a lot different to saying the Downeys, Conlons etc are all in on it.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Is it fair to say that the price of a pint in pubs isn't the reason why pubs are empty?
As far as I can see, the dearest places for a pint is where people are flocking to while a lot of the other pubs with cheaper drink are struggling to get people in.
Yes, a lot of these pubs were packed 7 days a week in the 80s & 90s but it's never coming back. Society and drinking culture has changed and a £2 pint isn't going to make a difference.

[imtommygunn]

I don't know about anywhere else but Belfast suffers a lot due to a lack of taxis. I have had a lot of bother a good few times getting taxis.

[gallsman]

Always been a pain in the hole as long as I can remember.

There are a couple of reasons for it...

[imtommygunn]

Since COVID though it is beyond ridiculous. It used to be tough getting home but now it can be hard even getting out.

Not sure in your two reasons. I could list a few though.

[Milltown Row2]

Like anything, once you have been forced (covid) to find new employment you basically cut your cloth to it and adapt, the money may not be as good but the normal conditions are better, and trying to get people back in that way of life again is difficult.

If the public transport was like any other major city then you wouldn't really have to rely on taxis as much, most cities at the weekend and maybe during the week have trains and bus services running through to 2 or 3 in the morning. last train at the weekend out of Belfast is 11.40 I think, not sure of the bus services, I do remember the late night buses years ago, flipping carnage!

Ubers in other countries have been brilliant, in Liverpool for instance its so quick and not hard to pay, two main companies here seem to have sown things up which is a problem, cost and availability of doing a taxi course seems to be another problem.

Cost of insurance, cost of fuel and other factors play into it, I stick to day time ventures into town, easier to get home, either (for me) train, bus, and plenty of taxis available at that time

[Tony Baloney]

I used Uber in Belfast last weekend and had no bother as it was a Sunday so no idea what their service is like on a Saturday night when the city is packed. I think the taxi service lost loads of drivers over Covid and many didn't return.

[imtommygunn]

I think the likes of uber would surge a lot. You start to read now about taxis lining up at night and bartering with people for fairly large sums for short journeys.

Covid has hit that industry especially as they don't feel they got a lot of funding when they were out of work during that time. Belfast has a lot of people in it but could have a lot more but for the taxi / public transport situation. I think they're attempting late buses now too but I don't think translink have the money for them.

[tonto1888]

You could have googled it in the time it took to type.

A Norn Iron hospitality group. Hotels, restaurants, pubs, bistros etc. Considerably upmarket. The Merchant the jewel in the crown.

why use google when the worlds best experts in everything congregate here

[Franko]

So why is a pint in Belfast £6+?
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?

Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.

There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.

Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.

Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.

Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.

I was in Belfast over the weekend and plenty of hoardings up around construction sites for new "coming soon" bars, restaurants etc. You'd think Belfast is a saturated market but business owners must think there is profit to be made from the tourist sector in particular.

They'll be heavily backed by whatever group they're owned by so not as much risk attached, compare that

So why is a pint in Belfast £6+?
Is it solely because of some imaginary cabal price gouging (see Beannchor) or is there actually more to it?

Belfast city centre pubs pay 20% VAT, in Dublin it's 13.5% (was 9%). UKGov refuses to reduce VAT for hospitality & tourism.

There is no rates relief in Belfast city centre (or NI) for hospitality businesses that is available elsewhere in the UK. So when the council raise their non-domestic rates, pubs and restaurants here get slaughtered.

Despite handsome profits last year, Diageo have announced their latest price increase - this is the one that makes the news but other breweries and suppliers have also put their prices up in the past 12 months.

Many Belfast city centre pubs employ people on minimum wage. When that goes up next month, they will be paying their bar staff more. They then have to pay supervisors, managers etc more as well. If they hire external contractors such as a cleaning company, that bill will also increase.

Wetherspoons, despite being a messy, under-staffed, McDonald's that serves alcohol and cheap, nasty food, has still increased prices twice in the last 6 months. The industry is fucked.

Bollocks

As someone pointed out, Beannchor Group posted a 5m (net... I repeat net) profit after tax on a 28m turnover in 2022.

They are printing money

And wanting an already underfunded BCC to put the cherry on top

Beannchor are the cabal. They can set prices to whatever they want in their establishments and people will pay it. A few others often follow suit but that's a lot different to saying the Downeys, Conlons etc are all in on it.

The size of the Beannchor group is largely irrelevant

If they "can set prices to whatever they want in their establishments and people will pay it" then why can't others?

It's not as if the people of Belfast flock to Bill Wolsey's pubs out of love for the man

[imtommygunn]

I guess it pretty much sums up the point of the thread. They charge whatever they want and they get away with it. Some say people are paying it so it's grand but what's the alternative - no one has a social life?