Thoughts on the demise of the traditional pub landlord

[Snapper]

New blog, and it's nothing to do with railways!:

"Whatever happened to those fantastic pub Landlords & Landladies that used to make some alehouses such a pleasure to visit?"

More here...

https://paulbigland.wordpress.com/2015/05/29/whatever-happened-to/

 

[ASharpe]

I think the pub industry has become a lot more professional over the past few years.

Fewer people are regularly drinking in their local pub and so it takes a bit more effort to have a broad appeal to the local populace and get enough money through the tills. Often the easiest way will be to sanitise everything so that nobody could possibly dislike the place. (except possibly on a Friday of Saturday night when there is often a lot of effort to get younger people in.)

There are still a very large number of good pubs up and down the country where the landlord will take pride in the place and not just see it as a business opportunity.

 

[Tetchytyke]

It's a pubco thing. The pubco aren't interested in the personal touch, and landlords who provide it (and increase takings) get shafted at the next rent review. So the personal touch goes away. Ossett are heading towards a pubco model and have been for some time.

I never thought the Ossett pub you refer to was all that good, it has to be said. Some of them are- the Three Pigeons in Halifax is brilliant- but there are some less good ones about.

You do still see the personal touch in a lot of good pubs, but they tend to be owned outright as free houses rather than rented from a pubco.