Recession? You wouldn't think so!

StevieJ

MrDT wrote: »

Hmm... Three takes on this:

1 - Alcoholism and gambling both tend to rise in times of recession apparently.

2 - Spoons and the like are dirt cheap, so maybe people are downshifting.

3 - Since houses are getting hundreds of pounds cheaper week on week I feel flush enough to buy a beer or six whenever I fancy

What about, my mortgage payments (many peoples biggest outlay) have halved in the last few months :beer:

lowis

i used to run various club nights throughout the late 80's and most of the 90's - our busiest times were during the leaner or more difficult times. people seem to make more effort to try and enjoy life or something when everything else is !!!!!!.

here's one for the daily mail/princess of our hearts crowd - one of our busiest ever nights was the night Princess Diana died!

purch

Recession? You wouldn't think so!

I think some people have a slightly strange view of what a Recession actually is, and it's affect on the economy and the vast majority of peoples lives.

worried_jim

The nearest pub to me is on the village green surrounded by "expensive houses", it is empty in the week now. a bit further on on near the station is the "estate pub" ( vibrant, but friendly ) and this is still just as busy in the week and packed at weekends.

katkim

I think people still going to bars and pubs for the atmosphere and to be social, but spending less (eating at home so no bar snacks, having a couple of drinks beforehand or making drinks last longer etc).

I think restaurants are suffering more, we went last weekend and it was empty aprt from one other table. The only ones that looked half full was Prezzo and Pizza Express, which had 2 for 1 deals going on.

pebblespop

restaurants, pubs and clubs are always dead in january no matter what is going on in the economy.

torontoboy45

chewmylegoff wrote: »

i don't think wetherspoons is much of a bargain - you get exactly what you pay for, which is bad location, bad premises, bad food, bad staff, bad fellow clientelle and bad beer.

i'd rather pay £5 a pint in my local than go in there.

given the soul - less atmosphere, surly staff and customer base you'd expect to find in a drinking den, I've got to agree.
but, at nearly £3 a pint, most punters have disappeared to tesco's instead of supporting the local and drinking less.
so at £5 per pint it looks like it's just you and me then.

your round.

Snooze

chewmylegoff wrote: »

i don't think wetherspoons is much of a bargain - you get exactly what you pay for, which is bad location, bad premises, bad food, bad staff, bad fellow clientelle and bad beer.

i'd rather pay £5 a pint in my local than go in there.

I've decided to thank you on that post because you are half right. I used to use 'spoons on a near daily basis when I was outbased and up until this past couple of years the food was usually spot on and no complaints about the booze or staff either. I noticed that when they changed their food supplier from Brake Bros to 3663 (or vice versa, can't remember who replaced who) that was when they went downhill, at least food wise anyway, and I used to eat in 'spoons 4 nights a week.

When the new supplier started, the steaks (for example) suddenly became very veiny and a much tougher meat generally. As for the curries, well, I've lost count of the amount of times I heard the excuse "we've run out" :rolleyes: . They never had the one you wanted and they always had the type that no-one would ever want in stock.

Those 2 factors alone pretty much finished my business with them.

Rob

RainMaker_2

Pubs aren't a good indicator IMHO. Restaurants are a much better sign of the times, because that's usually the first discretionary spending to go out the window when times are hard.

Restaurants around here (south east coast) are painfully quiet.

dopester

Maybe some pubs are looking busier than ever because they're benefiting from new regulars who used to drink elsewhere.

During the last six months of 2008, a record 39 pubs closed a week, an increase on the 36 a week that closed in the first half of last year.

In total 1,973 pubs shut in 2008, 40 per cent higher than the 1,409 closures reported by the BBPA in 2007.

Suburban pubs are closing at the rate of 19 a week, town centre pubs at eight a week and rural pubs at 13 a week. Britain's pubs are said to be closing almost ten times faster than in 2006 - four a week - and nearly 20 times faster than in 2005 - two a week.

http://www.inthenews.co.uk/money/news/food/