The changing face of the public house

We all have memories of Saturday or Sunday afternoons in the summer spent sat outside a country pub with a packet of crisps and your drink of choice, or perhaps one of the traditional basket style meals that we all remember from our youth. The next part of the memory really depends on what age you were at the time.

Growing up around the great British pub

For me growing up in the eighties, the pub was a place of mystery and intrigue. Adults seemed to enter in through the smoky doors and then either didn’t reappear for a long time and when they did they appeared very happy or they emerged from the smoke with drinks and crisps in hand and would come back out to the garden area to watch us children run around and have an amazing time on the play equipment. The squash my parents would bring me would always be a reddy pink colour and would have the vague flavour or blackcurrant. It was definitely not of the standards that children nowadays have when it comes to their soft drink choices. This in part is due to the emergence of companies providing superior quality post mix juices. If you are interested in what these types of companies have to offer, take a look at https://empireuk.com/post-mix-products/post/mix/juices where you find some great examples.

How pubs have adapted over time

Pubs over the years have adapted and changed to the requirements of us as a society. One major change for them came when the ban on smoking in public places came into force. This led pubs to create outdoor smoking areas in a bid to try and retain some of their customers who enjoyed a cigarette or two. The next shift was to provide more family friendly environments, this saw a surge in the number of chain style pub/restaurants like Brewers Fayre and Table Table. These places combine the feel of a family restaurant with the traditional elements of a bar area for those people perhaps just popping in for a drink after work or on a Saturday afternoon. Here you can combine the best of both worlds food and a relax feel for your family and an alcoholic drink of your choice.

The future of the public house

There is no doubt that public houses will remain for a long time to come especially as they are quick to adapt to changes in society and in the wants and desires of its customers. It will be interesting to see what future trends and fashions will be bring for our pubs and restaurants.

Summary

This article reflects on how the British pub has changed over time, from childhood memories of family visits to pub gardens, through the impact of the smoking ban and the rise of family-friendly pub environments. It concludes that pubs are likely to keep adapting successfully to changing social trends and customer expectations.

Questions this article raises

• How have pubs adapted since the introduction of smoking bans?
• What role do family-friendly pubs play in the industry’s survival?
• What future trends might shape pubs over the next decade?