End of the Lescar as we know it.

[bibble]

So when is the last Friday night officially going to be before they close it for refurbishment?

[Highfielder]

Couldn't agree more. I still pine for the old Psalter Tavern.

 

I agree with both of you too. Used to drink in the Psalter Lane Tavern sometimes in late 1990s and it was pretty unique ...not that far off the beaten track always chilled (even on a Friday or Saturday night) and while you could always get a seat it was never empty...it always seemed to have just the right amount of people in there.

And then someone went and completely destroyed it...

[andco]

So when is the last Friday night officially going to be before they close it for refurbishment?

 

 

I went in there this afternoon and think they said the last night is 14th October BUT dont count on being able to get your favourite drink because M&B is running down their stock.

 

I couldnt get ice because the ice-making machine is broken and they're not prepared to pay for it to be repaired. As they couldnt give me any lemon either I was forced to have a guinness.

 

I'm quite sure the closure and so-called improvements is a turn for the worse - they're aiming for 18-30 demographic market and arent interested in anything the local community has got to say.

 

So when they re-open, what's left of their clientele, may have to pay in the region of £2.50 - £3.00 for a pint. That'll be enough to drive any self-respecting student already laden with debt to the Student Union if they're not going there already. As for eating a meal you may have to spend £7 minimum just for a microwaved steak.

 

On the staffing front, I gather M&B have apparently laid everyone off to avoid redundancy and advised them to claim benefits. I've also heard the Comedy Club is all that'll be left on re-opening, ie no sport and no jazz club.

 

By the way, I think it's a waste of time writing letters of support to these geezers regarding the existing staff because someone told me they only send a standard letter to everyone and dont bother replying to follow-up queries. It wouldnt surprise me in the slightest if they believe the staff are putting us up to writing complaints etc.

 

Hope the new guy who's been appointed can meet his weekly takings quotas which I do hope is realistic and achievable for obvious reasons. Still that's his affair because I shant be going in there when they re-open and as I gather lots of people in the community feel that way as well, perhaps the renovations may be money down the drain as they say.

[sausagefinga]

According to the leaflet i have in front of me now, the Jazz nights will return to the Lescar from the 21st November.

[lastlaugh]

I don't think that it'll start back then, the pub is closed til Dec 5th, but it is definitely coming back.

[Kthebean]

I think its a lot of hysteria with not much information really. They have done their customers a injustice and shot themselves in the foot by not keeping us all fully informed of whats going to happen.

 

My feeling is it will probably reopen with the same good nights on, nicer furniture and different, slightly more expensive drinks. All the naysayers will be back in there within weeks cos lets face it, where else are they going to go

[beegee7]

What is happening now to the Lescar is nothing new. I have lived in Sheffield all my life and have popped in the Lescar off and on for over 30 years. It was never a good pub. It will never be a good pub, since unfortunately good pubs do not now exist. The product that a pub is supposed to sell is beer. All mainstream beers are degraded in strength and flavour to what they were originally. The only thing the breweries have been able to do is put the price up and still serve a short measure. There is absolutely no reason for any beer to cost more than 50p a pint. Think about it - it is 95% water. The price of beer in supermarkets is about 50p a pint and they package it and still make a good profit. Peripheral to beer is all the crap that pubs now seem to think we want e.g. gamesrooms, quizzes, food, music etc. I know there are some pubs that get the beer right, mainly the ones with beers from micro-breweries in the Don Valley, but who wants to go all the way over there every night? And these same pubs are still overcharging for the beer. There have been pubs closing nationally at the rate of 2 a week since the 1990's. What is happening to the Lescar will happen to lots more of the pubs that I used to frequent every night. Think of all the other local pubs that have already been closed or changed beyond recognition, two locals close to the Lescar - The Stag and The Psalter are in this category. The reason is simple - cost. I used to go out and drink 6/7 nights a week. Now I rarely do because the beer is generally poor and overpriced, I can't afford to. The pubs are not catering for me. I don't want food - I go to a restaurant for that, they do it better. I don't want music by some 3rd rate musicians with inflated egos. I don't want large screen football. I don't want a quiz or a comedy club. All these things can attract clientele, but they can also turn them away. Unfortunately over the years they have turned away most of the drinkers, the breweries then increased prices to keep the profits up. It is an ever decreasing circle. More local pubs will go - watch this space. I won't miss The Lescar. I gave up on pubs years ago. They didn't listen then and they wont now. It is just purely profit. If whatever they turn The Lescar into fails, expect 20 bijou apartments to rise from the ashes.

[pippadoll]

Next Friday and Saturday are the last of the Lescar as it was.

[lubylou]

Next Friday and Saturday are the last of the Lescar as it was.

 

We were told last night when we went in it would be next sunday, but dont expect to get a drink as there running short as it is now.

[Andy C]

What is happening now to the Lescar is nothing new. I have lived in Sheffield all my life and have popped in the Lescar off and on for over 30 years. It was never a good pub. It will never be a good pub, since unfortunately good pubs do not now exist. The product that a pub is supposed to sell is beer. All mainstream beers are degraded in strength and flavour to what they were originally. The only thing the breweries have been able to do is put the price up and still serve a short measure. There is absolutely no reason for any beer to cost more than 50p a pint. Think about it - it is 95% water. The price of beer in supermarkets is about 50p a pint and they package it and still make a good profit. Peripheral to beer is all the crap that pubs now seem to think we want e.g. gamesrooms, quizzes, food, music etc. I know there are some pubs that get the beer right, mainly the ones with beers from micro-breweries in the Don Valley, but who wants to go all the way over there every night? And these same pubs are still overcharging for the beer. There have been pubs closing nationally at the rate of 2 a week since the 1990's. What is happening to the Lescar will happen to lots more of the pubs that I used to frequent every night. Think of all the other local pubs that have already been closed or changed beyond recognition, two locals close to the Lescar - The Stag and The Psalter are in this category. The reason is simple - cost. I used to go out and drink 6/7 nights a week. Now I rarely do because the beer is generally poor and overpriced, I can't afford to. The pubs are not catering for me. I don't want food - I go to a restaurant for that, they do it better. I don't want music by some 3rd rate musicians with inflated egos. I don't want large screen football. I don't want a quiz or a comedy club. All these things can attract clientele, but they can also turn them away. Unfortunately over the years they have turned away most of the drinkers, the breweries then increased prices to keep the profits up. It is an ever decreasing circle. More local pubs will go - watch this space. I won't miss The Lescar. I gave up on pubs years ago. They didn't listen then and they wont now. It is just purely profit. If whatever they turn The Lescar into fails, expect 20 bijou apartments to rise from the ashes.

 

1) Lescar, like many pubs, is run by a pub company not a brewery. Only brewery that runs more than a couple of pubs in Sheffield is Greene King.

 

2) Different people look for different things in pubs, which is why there are so many different kinds of pubs

 

3) Supermarkets may sell beer at 50p a pint, but they tend to use beer as a loss leader which is a very irresponsible way of retailing alcohol. They are also subject to much less regulation and costs than pubs, and most offer a very poor range. The majority of the cost of a pint is tax anyway.

 

4) Not all pubs give short measure - many of the better ones use oversized lined glasses so you can get a nice head on your beer and still have a full pint of liquid beer.

 

I do have issues with the way pub chains operate, but to say ALL pubs are rubbish, expensive and don't cater for drinkers needs is nonsense.