Price of a pint looks set to soar

[ardmhachaabu]

Franko, are you a publican?

[Franko]

Shouldnt a pub think about offering a bit of value at the minute? While numbers of clients are falling, people are still drinking, at least here in Reno.

Wouldnt it be better to sell two or three times as many drinks for 10-20 pence less than continuing to give zero value to the punter?

Ive long said that there is zero value for money in the hospitality business in Ireland.

BTW, Those splits and mixers are a small gold mine for bars at home.

Correct - and many if not most pubs do try this - through happy hours and various other drink promos.  But selling drink at a loss to try and entice customers in cannot be carried on for any great length of time.  It is also frowned upon by the the public and the law (and may soon be illegal) and in most cases it doesn't exactly attract the finest people.

Pubs would need to be selling very cheap drink to sell drinks at a loss
If they knock a couple of pence off their drinks they wouldnt be operating at a loss, thats for sure

It's not that the drink is being sold at a loss - but the business as a whole may be operating at a loss during these times.  And there is really no advantage in reducing prices by anything less than 20 - 30p per drink if you are trying to take custom from a competitor at which stage I would wager that most pubs are not covering overheads.

[Doogie Browser]

Pubs are closing as all businesses in all walks of life feel the squeeze, people are cutting back on their luxury items and the trip tp the pub falls into this category.      

Exactly... any why.. because the profits they make do not cover expenses and thus the business is not viable.  So how then can anyone say they are ripping people off???

So what do they do, increase prices to get customers in who cannot afford to go in the first place?   

What's the alternative?  Cos if you have one I know a great many people would like to hear it?

Well what I do know is that increasing the price of drink at a time when people have less cash is not going to attract business, that is basic economics.  Pubs will close, tough shit, so will construction companies, manufacturers, corner shops etc,  it is sad but thats life.
The drinks industry have had a free ride for many years over here, in most towns they operated like cartels and ensured all pubs charge the same.  Don't get me wrong I support local business as much as the next man, but I have had enough of an insight into margins in this industry to know they were making almost 100% mark up for years.  If they cannot drum up enough business now, tough, there is probably too many clamouring for smaller slices of cake in most towns nowadays anyway.

[Franko]

Pubs are closing as all businesses in all walks of life feel the squeeze, people are cutting back on their luxury items and the trip tp the pub falls into this category.      

Exactly... any why.. because the profits they make do not cover expenses and thus the business is not viable.  So how then can anyone say they are ripping people off???

So what do they do, increase prices to get customers in who cannot afford to go in the first place?   

What's the alternative?  Cos if you have one I know a great many people would like to hear it?

Well what I do know is that increasing the price of drink at a time when people have less cash is not going to attract business, that is basic economics.  Pubs will close, tough shit, so will construction companies, manufacturers, corner shops etc,  it is sad but thats life.
The drinks industry have had a free ride for many years over here, in most towns they operated like cartels and ensured all pubs charge the same.  Don't get me wrong I support local business as much as the next man, but I have had enough of an insight into margins in this industry to know they were making almost 100% mark up for years.  If they cannot drum up enough business now, tough, there is probably too many clamouring for smaller slices of cake in most towns nowadays anyway.

Lets be honest here franko - if you are in the know maybe you can be more accurate for me. How close are cost prices to the price put on the consumer?

I doubt very much there is less than 50-60p a drink.

I'll not quote definite figures but fullback's estimate of a 100 - 200% markup on bottles, spirits and splits is in the right ballpark.  My point is that this markup is necessary for the type of publican that I am talking about here to make a living.

Doogie - you are right to an extent - 5 years ago you could possibly have stuck decent in front of the word living.  But then again 5 years ago most of the country was earning a decent living.
However now that is not the case now and I am defending these publicans against those who say they are currently ripping off the public because that is definitely not the case.

ardmhachaabu - no, but I have worked in and around the industry for a long time.

[comethekingdom]

Guinness in a pub in dawson st last weekend was €5.70 a pint - great value? - Fcukin robbery!!!!

[delboy]

Edit i give up trying to deal with those fupping multiple quotes 

[3000 miles away]

i worked in the pub industry for a while, and the pub i was working in(in the north) was buying kegs at 130euro, splits(mixers)35p, the vodka was 15 pound stg a litre and a half bottle.

a pint was 3.10X90=279 euro 149prof
a vodka was 2.20x30 in a1ltr bottle 66stg 51pd prof
a split was 1.10stg  3 times the price.
and as for shots and the like they were savage profit.

[stew]

A pint of black in my local is now $5.00, it is the best pint you will ever get in America mind you but I think that is a scandalous price to pay for a pint of black.

I drink wine, Chardonnay mostly and also red wine from time to time, I buy two buck chuck, slop that goes by the name of charles shaw, it is dead on, cheap and does the job.

I pity you poor bastids that pay crazy money for a beer or a half un at home, dont they know there is a depression on. 

[5 Sams]

I remember reading somewhere that one of the Scandinavian countries Sweden I think put a load of tax on the drink to combat a serious alcohol abuse problem hence the reason why its a fiver a pint.....good enough reason in my book......in Ireland however you just get ripped off....no reason....just ripped off.

[thebigfella]

i worked in the pub industry for a while, and the pub i was working in(in the north) was buying kegs at 130euro, splits(mixers)35p, the vodka was 15 pound stg a litre and a half bottle.

a pint was 3.10X90=279 euro 149prof
a vodka was 2.20x30 in a1ltr bottle 66stg 51pd prof
a split was 1.10stg  3 times the price.
and as for shots and the like they were savage profit.

+VAT, overheads, staffing, take into account the exchange rate blah blah. Not defending pubs but you know it's not as straight forward as you make out.

A little point as this seems to become a thread about moaning about the price of drink, just don't pay the price. Drink in the house or not at all but then again you'd become a boring c*** with no friends or personality 

[Gnevin]

Pub's do them selfs no favours. If i'm in town and want a sit down and a 7up am I going to pay 4.00 + for a tiny 7up or  about 1.50 for a bottle of it . I don't know why publicans can't get bottles from the cash and carry or have it on tap.

[full back]

A little point as this seems to become a thread about moaning about the price of drink, just don't pay the price.

People arent drinking out as much. Pubs are closing (according to some people). Tough sh1t for the publicans, something has to change & if it isnt the prices then so be it

[ludermor]

Guinness in a pub in dawson st last weekend was €5.70 a pint - great value? - Fcukin robbery!!!!

Cafe En Seine is prob the dearest pub in dublin ( not counting some hotel bars) but it is wedged every weekend. There even seems to be queues outside it sometimes.

[Doogie Browser]

Dinny Breen's booze cruise to Newry got me thinking, the price of a pint went up in my local to £2.40 STG last week, any regional variations out there as I think that it still cheap in comparison. 

[ardmhachaabu]

Dinny Breen's booze cruise to Newry got me thinking, the price of a pint went up in my local to £2.40 STG last week, any regional variations out there as I think that it still cheap in comparison. 

Jaysus, that's cheap.  I was in a boozer in Armagh after the challenge match against Dublin and was very pleasantly surprised at paying £2.60.  In my local in Belfast, I pay £3.05.