Food, glorious food?

Although it sounded a note of caution last week in revealing what it perceived as 'twitchiness' among its Middle England customer base, Mitchells & Butlers was upbeat about food sales throughout its estate, both in terms of recent trading and future prospects - especially with an English smoking ban imminent. Others are responding to the likely demands and pressures of the smoke-free market by getting stuck into food-led businesses. The likes of Herald Inns & Bars is sinking £3m into a carvery business and Ultimate Leisure is boarding the food-led train with its Bel & The Dragon acquisition.

Such moves are understandable reactions to how the pub market will likely look in a year or so's time. More people eating out, fewer people simply propping up a bar, etc.

Paraphrasing Ultimate's Mark Jones, you want to be in a growth market, not a stagnating one. One potential fly in the ointment, however, is the economy. If interest rates go up much more under the Gordon Brown-led administration, eating out will be the first thing to go. And then it won't be just Middle England that will be twitching.

Silence isn't always golden

Apropos of nothing in particular, I was in a pub last week which had a giant plasma screen TV switched on. As is often the case with TVs in pubs, the sound was turned off. Now, I reckon this is a bizarre enough practice at the best of times. People sitting in a pub staring open-mouthed at a TV screen that's showing pictures but no sound… aside from sport, well, it's just plain barmy, isn't it?

On this occasion the TV was silently screening a music television channel. Yep, that's right. A music TV channel. Being screened to the pub's customers. With the sound turned off. Go on, you work it out. I couldn't.