Pub landlord advice

[chorne39]

I maybe a little late to the party on this one. Some excellent advice here on the things to avoid in running a pub. Here in Totley we have watched with interest the fortunes of our local pubs. The Fleur de Ley has closed permanently and will eventually become flats or a residential development site. The Crown at Totley has seen a succession of publicans who have not been able to make the pub work largely down to the rent and pricing of the beer charged by Punch Taverns (the owner). There are big forces at play which act against a landlord being able to make a pub work in the way they used to. Namely, discounted supermarket prices for alcohol and drink drive laws, plus people are drinking less (non of these things are necessarily bad). However creating a successful pub can be done. Have a look at the Broadfield on Abbeydale Road to see how a great selection of beers, a good vibe and honest pub grub to combine together to make a successful pub. What I would say is that this pub I'm pretty sure is not owned by a pubco which has to be the starting point for any successful pub enterprise. If you are looking for great general advice on running a pub then the howtorunapub website is brill. There is also this course that may be of interest to somebody who want independent advice on how to run a pub free from the shackles of the pubcos and big brewers.

Edited June 1, 2015 by chorne39

[tzijlstra]

A number of generations of my family members on't other side of the Pennines work(ed) in the pub trade. The oldest couple retired 20 years ago and made a very good living out of a pub they owned in Norfolk. The middle-generation was bankrupted by his brewer and suffered 10 years of fighting back financially and his son works for Greene King and has moved all over the country to start up new food based pubs (I forget the name of the chain) including here.

 

He loves the work and has security because he is directly employed by Greene King rather than working as a licensee. However, the money is bad, the days are incredibly long (frequently working noon-midnight) and his career prospects are not great, he has one more rung to climb (to outright manager rather than assistant manager) and that will be it.

 

People frequently have the idea that running a pub is being behind the bar, but the business is made or lost behind the desk.

[billybob313]

The rule in Scotland is this.

 

Have great doormen. Be prepared to work non stop. Feel knackered 24/7 for little to no reward.

[alchresearch]

Interesting to see some comments from 2013 and how things have changed!

[waldershelf]

The best advice is to forget it. Even if you don't lose your life savings and go bankrupt you will work long hours for little reward and have to put up with all the unpleasantness that comes with dealing with drunks. All the while the pubco/brewery will be working against you, squeezing ever harder. The only chance you have is if you can buy a pub outright and fill it with customers, not easy in this day and age.