The Beverage Standards Association brings you Peter’s Monday 5th July 2021 Weekly Briefing every Tuesday morning.
Monday, 5th July Weekly Briefing
Holidays
One of the (many) joys of going abroad for a holiday (sadly denied for many of us right now), is to sit at a table, and to be served with a drink and perhaps some food, in an unrushed manner. Compare that with what we are offered in the UK.
Is a pub a Hospitality Business?
I don’t see why, in a place that says it’s in the hospitality business, you have to go up to the bar and (sometimes) get jostled to be served which, in my eyes, is a profoundly non-hospitable activity. In passing I’d observe that there are many other places where I can be served at a counter (although now it’s more likely I’d be suing an app) – what would McDonald’s, or Costa, or Gregg’s, be like if you had to be crowded round the bar to be served?
So much choice
Then, back in the pub, having tried to make myself obviously visible as someone who wants to place an order and having been subsequently discovered by the person behind the bar, I am suddenly faced with a decision. There is a wide choice of drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks) that are spread out all over the place – in the chiller cabinet, at a pump, perhaps on a shelf – with no idea of the price (why is that legal?). And then, having been served, I have to push my way through a crowd to get to a place of solace – maybe even finding a table (which may not have been cleared of the detritus of its previous tenants). And to get a second helping, I have to repeat the process.
Thank you for reading part of the Monday 5th July 2021 Weekly Briefing and full edition can be found at Weekly Briefing Report.
Peters Monthly Report for May 2021 is now available here.
Peter provides consultancy on the eating out market and opens eyes to brand new ways of thinking about the sector and its multiple opportunities for success.
(E) peter@peterbackmanfs.com (w) www.peterbackmanfs.com