Such has been the sea-change
in the English pub industry, that we had to go and
experience one of the new chain pubs. The Rat &
Parrot chain is owned by Scottish & Newcastle
and they have set up establishments with large open
spaces, cold, electric-pump beers, loud music, darker
lighting and basic food. For what they are trying
to do (reproduce an American bar) they have actually
done quite a good job, and if this is what you want
in a pub, then more power to you.
The choice of location
can be explained by the proximity to huge Inland Revenue
Service building right next door, which no doubt disgorges
herds of people at particular times of the day, all
seeking something to eat and something to drink; the
wide open spaces around the bar can be explained by
the building formerly being a furniture superstore;
the cold, electric beer can be explained by the southern,
London-biased market (they are just not as picky about
their beer); and the rest cannot really be explained
except to say that this seems to be what certain markets
want.
There are other
people that, just like me, enjoy visiting and 'researching'
pubs. Generally I get lots of help from the staff
or the owner when I ask about the pub. I was disappointed
(though I must say, not surprised) to learn of one
Sheffield pub research group that was politely told
by the staff of a Rat & Parrot pub that there
was no information, and the staff could not answer
any questions, because it was against company policy.
So the researchers stole a menu.
Of the 60,000
pubs in Britain, about eight hundred are theme or
chain pubs. This number is set to double by 2002 according
to the market researchers, but some people think that
this number is conservative. Compound that with the
number of traditional pubs going completely out of
business, and there is your sea-change.
In addition,
that increased number of theme pubs will appear in
high-profile locations and have a proportionally greater
number of clientele, and so the public may become
'educated' more quickly in the attractions of theme
pubs than if such establishments were tucked away
in Gunnerside for example. The situation will snowball
as acceptance grows. Brand Assurance (where you are
sure to have an identical beer in one Rat & Parrot
compared to another Rat & Parrot) has spilled
over from fast food into the English pub.
Who goes to these places?
If size is anything to go by, the Rat & Parrot
must get very busy from time to time. Certainly the
lunchtime crowd from the Inland Revenue Service and
surrounding businesses will contribute significantly
to that. Young executives are attracted to these bars,
especially young female executives, keen to find somewhere
safe, clean and well-lit to network with their colleagues.
Theme pubs are also efficient for the owners, as they
draw large crowds and thereby use labor efficiently.
The theme pub is often marketed as an entertainment
destination, where the income derived from beer sales
is only a small portion of their overall income, the
rest coming from food, t-shirts and novelty item sales.
The time is right for theme
pubs, and we will see more and more of them. I remain
steadfast in the hope that the time is also right
for the traditional English pub with its individual,
local and often unique character.
