Are Wet Led Pubs Really Back On Top? Food for Thought

Back in 2018 we discussed the rise and fall of wet led and food led pubs and the trends at the time. With the hospitality industry still experiencing hardships and turmoil, with disposable income less than ever thanks to the cost of living crisis, we look back at the original post and see what conclusions we can draw today. 

Recent reports suggest that wet-led pubs are experiencing a new lease of life, but how true is this and what does it mean for food-led premises?

Although it’s suggested that the tide is seemingly turning on food focused pubs, everything isn’t as cut and dry as it seems. It appears that purely wet led pubs are continuing to show a decline in turnover that has been evidenced for the past few years, however the rate has abated. This is leading many in the industry to assume that those businesses that serve both purposes may have had their day.

While pubs concentrating on drinks offerings and profitable back bar designs, might be seeing a surge, we’re not convinced that the end of foodie pubs is nigh.

It wasn’t that long ago that pubs were being advised to try different methods to generate revenue and boost profits in a bid to counteract the drop in drinks sales thought to be caused by cheap supermarket and shop prices. This involved employing alternative income ideas to boost trade such as introducing and expanding food concepts. With so many pubs releasing food menus, the market quickly became saturated potentially causing the novelty to wear off. Gastropubs flooded the scene and became ten a penny; they just weren’t new and exciting anymore. Could the recent increase in sales demonstrate that punters are now shirking the new norm and looking for more traditional establishments?

Past experience has taught that weather and topical events play a big part in the fluctuation of trends. England’s surprisingly successful World Cup outing and an unusually warm summer have arguably promoted a reinforced drinking ethos, evidenced by flocks of people heading to the pub purely for beer, wine and spirits (and soft drinks). Whether this new direction will continue is debatable; there are other factors that may come into play.

Balmy weather during the summer may have been a catalyst for the rise of wet led pubs and a coup for revenue and turnover but in an ironic twist, the basis for the seasonal success may inadvertently push beer prices up further.

Poor weather at the beginning of the year pushed back the sowing of crops – already putting production off to a shaky start. Since then these crops have been subjected to uncanny temperatures without getting even a trickle of rain. Resulting in the failure of large quantities of crops, brewers could struggle to meet their typical production quota, with any available crops being in high demand with a price tag to reflect. This competition for basic brewing materials pushes the price of crops up; extra costs that must be passed to customers therefore in turn accelerating beer prices. Although a result of natural causes, could this potential, yet seemingly unavoidable, increase in beer prices skew the figures that seem to be continuously in flux?

Following the freeze on alcohol duty in the 2017 budget there is new furore sweeping the industry around the anticipated rise in beer duty coming in this Autumn’s announcement.* The rumoured 2018 increase has spurred the rapidly growing Long Live the Local campaign aimed at stopping crippling tax increases that threaten the livelihoods of thousands of publicans. The movement is still gathering speed and momentum to save more pubs from closure and in turn save thousands of jobs. Could the contents of Philip Hammond’s red case deal a further blow to the rebirth of the wet led pub?

*Since writing this article good news has come in for pub and bar owners. Beer and cider duty has been frozen for the next tax year along with a freeze on spirit duty although wine duty will see a rise in line with inflation.

It’s undeniable that food and drink go together like Batman and Robin or Tom and Jerry. Going hand in hand, one compliments the other, beer often leading to a craving for food – think of those burgers or kebabs after a night on the town! Likewise, a good meal will always taste better with a glass of wine. Having both on offer, to enjoy either separately or in unison, just makes sense.

The beauty of a food led pub is that it’s more relaxed than a restaurant setting making it perfect for families that just want to nip out for a quick bite or those that fancy an impromptu meal without having to book. Offering a more casual approach, customers can enjoy good food and a beverage or two without the formalities associated with restaurant dining.

Now that the public has experienced foodie pubs, could there ever be a world where quick, easy and affordable food in a sociable, familiar, often homely setting doesn’t exist?

So, what if you run a wet led pub and want to venture into the foodie market?

Pubs used to be watering holes where you could enjoy a decent pint in peace or with company. They’d be filled in the afternoon by day-time drinkers and employees on never-ending lunch breaks and then, in the evenings, they’d be packed out again with the after-work crowd. Back then, pubs could rely on a steady flow of customers cashing out on lagers, ales, ciders and spirits.

But those days are gone. Over the last few decades, there’s been a gradual cultural shift. Pubs still remain hubs for meeting and socialising but it appears that increasingly more of their customers are losing their appetites for booze.

With healthy lifestyles on the rise, more are going vegan and gluten free, avoiding fats and cutting down on calories, left, right and centre. As part of this drive towards healthier bodies, alcohol consumption is falling and, instead, customers are craving wholesome, fresh foods.

Thousands of pubs have already fallen foul of this big shift. For 9 out of the 10 years until 2020, we saw a decline in the number of pubs in the UK– with that decline dealing a catastrophic blow to the industry: 7,200 pubs closed in the previous decade, and 13,200 shut since 2000.

As the market changes, pubs need to remain relevant. While some have begun broadening their drinks menu – bringing in a sparkle of novelty with various exotic beers and craft ales – many more will need to cast their net wider into the food business, setting up kitchens which can cater to audiences who want their local to be a place where they can grab a quick lunch or sit down with their families for an evening meal.

We’ve already seen many pubs opt to become providers of comfort foods – building burger selections or installing wood fired ovens and adding stone-baked sourdough pizzas to their menus. And we’ve seen the rise of gastros – pubs which take their food offerings even further and begin to look like full-on restaurants.

But many pubs are yet to begin putting food on their tables. They’re yet to transition from wet-led to food-led businesses, and swap out the bar snacks for three course meals.

While 2019 seeing the number of pubs rise for the first time in a long time, all pubs need to adapt to make those positive improvements to numbers in the sector permanent. You've got the permissions, licenses and certificates, but what are the next steps?

Your customers know what they want, and who knows your customers better than your staff. Your front of house servers are the ones who will have the opportunity to talk to the people who come through your doors, and to get an idea of what has drawn them in - and what further menu-offerings might draw in others like them.

Your staff may just be quicker to spot the ways in which your restaurant could run that bit more smoothly, offering insights on anything from layout (how easy it is to move around the room) to how kitchen appliances have been handling their loads.

While some may be fortunate enough to have a ready-to-use kitchen sitting right at the heart their pub, many are not so lucky.

But, if you don’t have one, that doesn’t mean you have to call in the bulldozers and start from scratch. It can be tricky to re-imagine the blueprints of your building, but it’s worth a try.

Start by thinking about what you’ve already got - and more particularly about which parts of your pub are currently under-used. Is the pool table gathering dust? Is that back office collecting clutter? Is your loft filled with empty boxes? Has your garden seen better days and could you build outwards?

Your budget may then dictate what you do next. But, whether you go cheaper and convert your attic room into a snug space or go bold and build an impressive conservatory your customers will make a bee-line for, you might just find yourself freeing up some space, perhaps even a room, closer to your bar which you can then craft into a place for food prep.

Making a menu too fussy and crammed full of a general mish-mash of items will deter a customer. Not only will the customer find the mass of selection confusing but the kitchen will also find coping difficult. The more menu items, the more recipes and ingredients are required. Mistakes are more likely to happen when things get complicated and the quality of food will have next to no consistency.

Review your menu and narrow your selection, ensuring that you still leave an appropriate amount of variety for the customer.

If you're thinking of expanding to add food to the menu, then having the right equipment is essential. There's no need to create a Michelin starred kitchen at the start. You'll already have your pub fridges and ice makers sorted, but refrigerated food storage and cooking equipment is going to be critical. Beginning with the basics, catering fridges, commercial kitchen freezers, prep counter fridges, oven or range cooker, grill and commercial dishwasher should be enough to produce a simple menu.

If your food takes off and becomes a hit with customers then you may want to think about expanding your equipment range.  

Whether wet led or food led, pubs create the perfect setting for people to come together with nearly every community boasting a ‘local’ as a central meeting point. Viewed as a place to reinforce the meaning of community or somewhere to reunite, celebrate, relax or just be generally social, it’s clear why the public are so passionate about keeping their local watering holes (and feeding holes) open.

Not only a prominent, core part of society, pubs of all types are a massive source of employment, generating billions in taxes for the economy every year. Some public house structures have been around for hundreds of years, many of the buildings being seen as historical landmarks. Although the closure rate of British pubs has fallen year on year since 2000, it’s still vital that the rate of closures, standing at an estimated 18 per week in the last half of 2017*, is further slowed to protect jobs, the economy and to preserve Britain’s rich heritage. *Source: Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

The fluctuation in trends for wet led and food led pubs will undoubtedly continue however surely there’s enough space in the hearts (and purses) of the UK public for both to amiably and successfully co-exist?