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Dave54 wrote:Living down here, most of the pubs cater for what they think the tourists want.
That seems to be mostly something that looks like a restaurant with a bar.
Here where pubs are fairly thin on the ground anyway, there are two local villages that have lost their pubs in the last three years or so.

Same up here, Dave, even though we have no tourists to speak of, and not a lot of posh folk. either.

ayjay wrote:Before the ban, I've been in pubs with a decent ventilation system and you wouldn't know that anyone was smoking in there, there's no reason why that couldn't be done everywhere and it may just stop so many closing, (10,500 since year 2000).

Well for years the trade was warned, but did nothing. Certainly round here pubs couldn't be bothered to switch the ventilation on (even those that had it). As a life long non-smoker I can tell you that there is little worse than going the pub on a Saturday night and then waking up the following morning reeking of stale cigarettes - even your hair, the bedding and the pillow you'd slept on. Disgusting!

I think that the culture has changed a lot over the last 30 or so years. In the 1970s and 1980s it was quite common for people to go for a beer, if not every lunch time, certainly every Friday lunchtime. I know I did. And also a few nights every week. Round here the tradesmen used to gravitate to a couple of the local pubs every Friday afternoon to shoot the breeze. These days those pubs are empty , whilst many pubs have either closed, or just don't open at lunchtime any longer

ayjay wrote: I rarely visit a pub now since the smoking ban. Before the ban, I've been in pubs with a decent ventilation system and you wouldn't know that anyone was smoking in there, there's no reason why that couldn't be done everywhere and it may just stop so many closing, (10,500 since year 2000).

I remember when the smoking ban first came in and the first thing I noticed was the smell of cigarette smoke in pubs was replaced with the smell of stale beer (from the pub carpets), wee, and B.O. Think I preferred the smell of cigarettes to be honest!

As an ex-smoker, I don't really mind the smell of cigarette smoke myself in pubs, but that ship sailed long ago -- nobody will ever undo the smoking ban. Like it or not, there'd be a massive public outcry.

It's a funny thing, but as an ex smoker who's been stopped for 30 years I don't like the smell of cigarette smoke at all.
I can see it's done the pub trade no good, but as J & K says, I used to get sick of having my clothes stinking of smoke when I cam home from the pub. Good job it won't come back, for me at least. Agree with you though Chris, some of the smells that have replaced cigarettes aren't all that pleasant either.
TBH I reckon the pub trade was already well on the way down by the time the smoking ban came in.
Pubs had been closing for years. Various reasons I reckon.

I've never bought the idea the smoking ban is the cause of the pubs losing revenue. As an ex smoker I don't see the problem with popping outside for a quick fag and back in again. I can't stand the smell of smoke now and can smell it from someone standing ten feet away from me.

The main cause of the pubs closing down is the fact people's habits have changed. The youngsters would rather go into town and pay a fiver for a bottle of beer than stay in their local and pay half of it.

My cousin had a pub in Stirling for years which she let go about 5 years ago. She said she made 2p profit for very pint sold

It's the taxes and levys that have ruined the pub game.

I think that the smoking ban was the final nail in the coffin. I can recall that the middle classes deserted pubs in the 90's moving on to meeting friends in restaurants. The change in clientèle at pubs into mainly pint huggers and riff raff made them unattractive to many and youngsters started going to trendy bars instead. The smoking ban did away with what was left of pub goers and that is when they started closing wholesale. Now they are only busy for the football crowd on occasions.

I can remember in the 80's how we used to meet our friends in the nicer pubs and we were surrounded by similar folk. We would not think of going in a pub now although some gastro pubs are okay.

And there we see the emerging popularity of the coffee bars. They are largely populated by the middle classes. Women meet in restaurant type venues so no boorish tw*ts hit on them like they would in pubs.

Times change, social groups do not.

DWD