Has COVID19 changed Irish Pubs forever?
I spent 10 years working in Irish pubs during the 1990s as a waiter and barman. It’s a hell of an education in life at a young age but it has stood to me. Back then in the early 90’s there were over 10,000 pubs in Ireland — typically a noisy, dimly lit, old fashioned kind of places … and for a lot of pubs it hasn’t changed much. COVID19 has come like a hammer blow to the industry. Having your business closed for 6 months with almost no notice is crippling. The only option is to stay closed or adapt. Some pubs have been able to reopen as “restaurants” serving “substantial means for not less than €9”. But the majority are shut and wont open till the Government gives the green light. Many pubs may never open again.
The COVID19 epidemic has been a watershed moment in the pub business — one where we will look back at 13th March 2020. We will talk about it using terms like “before” and “after” the same way we did with the smoking ban. Before — we had about 7000 pubs and they have been at the heart of Irish society much like the church and GAA hall in just about every village. But here is the difference — worshippers to the Irish pub are no longer devout. They have turned away in a time of crisis because other options are now available. The closing of pubs in Ireland has given Irish people a pause to consider the sociality of our society and how we have put the pub at the center of our social lives more than any other nation on earth. Probably because there no other option. The lack of alternatives has to have been a big factor.
I once visited a Heritage park near Bunratty Castle which had a replica of an old 19 century Irish village right down to the costumes of staff worked there. It had a replica of an “Open House” which I had seen on old signs in pubs for years and never really knew what that looked like — so I went in. It was essentially an old Irish cottage where if you turned left you entered a bedroom with a thatched roof but if you turned right you enter a kitchen that had a large table with jugs of whiskey a oak barrel filled with beer. I was amazed at how similar it was to many “pubs” that I had been in and it hit me. The Irish pub concept hasn’t changed in 100 years. Many pubs still have old signs, glasses, high tables, old wood and old smells is still the same. People like that — and tourists love it. So open houses grew and grew to become pubs.
But there is a problem — if you are in an industry with a set model that hasn’t changed for decades and a sudden unforeseen shock comes then its very difficult to change. Think of how DVD stores went out of business when streaming came along. Their business model hadn’t changed in a decade and was wiped out in a year. The one that survived ironically was originally a DVD mailing service called Netflix. So is the case for Irish pub — innovate or begone. The pubs that are innovating right now are the ones that ultimately will survive. Putting food on the menu just like every bar you enter around the World is an obvious innovation. Not just because it allows the doors to be open in the short term but because it broadens the appeal to customers who are demanding more choice. Coffee culture is massive in Ireland and is a serious competitor to for the habits and spend of younger people. The days of 8 pints of lager and a packets of crisps for entertainment are gone. Younger people want tapas, a selection of wines, coffees, vegan foods … and maybe a pint if they feel like it. They want entertainment, book clubs, board games, wine circles and if they cant get it in the pub they will get it elsewhere. We all know the COVID19 lockdown has seen a massive increase in garden bars. Half the country has spent the summer doing home improvements and every second garden now has a mini bar made from pallets — now all we need is the weather. The final nail in the coffin for some pubs has been the transition to cashless society which has quietly happened. 80% of transaction are now via tapping the card and that will be a huge shock to the system if and when pubs reopen.
Dont get me wrong — I used to love the pub. But I am talking about it now in the passed tense as the concept of what the Irish pub was is different to what it will be if and when they reopen. Publicans are under huge pressure and what they need right now is not what they are going to get — a cash injection. I foresee the permanent closure of about 30% of pubs in Ireland and the ones that remain will be “new age” pubs — half restaurant and half bar. I am not sure how I will feel about that. If I was a twenty something would I even care? The customers of the future will dictate the pubs of the future and they wont be the same as they are now. Its something to sit and think about.
Is there any chance for a pint?
