Publican Local Focus: Edinburgh - Flower of Scotland
Visit the well-worn tourist trails of Scotland's capital at the height of the Festival in August and you'll find a city that looks a lot like a publican's heaven. For most bars there's simply never any shortage of custom.
Anywhere within half-an-hour's walk of the castle's dominating presence you can be sure of plenty of transient trade right through the summer, peaking during that three-week arts extravaganza.
And there are some fantastic pubs for visitors to explore, with an arguably wider and better selection of traditional bars - a real Edinburgh speciality - than anywhere else in Scotland.
There's a well-established late-hours culture too, with bars given the option to open until 3am and clubs till 5am. In fact, it is technically possible to find somewhere open and serving at any time of day or night.
But inevitably nothing's as straightforward as it looks. Huge volumes of customers mean it's a problem getting the numbers of quality staff needed to keep everything moving efficiently.
For several years spot-checks by trading standards officers have shown a persistent problem with short-measuring in some bars during the Festival. This is almost always down to inexperienced bar workers struggling to cope with the volume of business.
Then there are the perennial problems caused by the inconvenient fact that some of the best pubs happen to be in deeply traditional residential areas, for example the atmospheric but frequently rowdy Grassmarket.
Since a fire gutted World Heritage Site the Cowgate in 2002, an elaborate reconstruction has been taking shape, along with (hotly disputed) moves to make the Grassmarket more 'Continental' and family-friendly. But anyone witnessing the hordes of inebriates spilling out of venues like the Three Sisters at weekends would have to concede the late-night scene is as raucous and boozy as ever, no matter how tightly things are supposed to be run under the beefed-up new licensing rules.
Ironically, potentially one of the most boisterous strips is in the well-heeled New Town, where the once-staid banking district of George Street now plays host to a welter of bars and clubs in defunct Edwardian banks.
It's a hard-drinking city, and because the Scottish Parliament is just up the road there's a common perception that what happens in Edinburgh has influenced many of the more controversial aspects of Scottish licensing law. The plan to bring in the deeply unpopular 'social responsibility levy' is one example.
Betty Greave, who has 40 years' trade experience, said the challenge of coping with proliferating bureaucracy made it impossible to successfully run her leased pub in the West End. These days she runs the Central Bar in Leith (infamous for its role in Irvine Welsh's saga of urban lowlife, Trainspotting), which she says survives "not on new rules and regulations, but on real Scottish pub culture and good regular customers".
Meanwhile, away from the hubbub around the High Street, deft local operators have proved capable of tapping into a market for quality neighbourhood bars with a real point of difference - as seen, for example in the stunning design scheme of Thomson's Bar in Haymarket (with its acid-etched mirrors depicting ancient Greek philosophers).
Edinburgh still has the capacity to surprise, even if the people behind some of its best pubs reckon they're flourishing despite the system.
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Paul Weir is general manager at the Black Bull in the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh's Old Town. It is owned by independent pub company Signature.
How much will a pint cost me?
Lager is £3 and cask £2.90 - about average for this area. A vodka and dash is £2.90, and a Coke £1.25. Like in most of the pubs round here, cask is a big seller and we strive to ensure it lives up to its reputation.
Do you do food?
We've a busy day trade in summer, so we have a menu that aims to cover the main bases without going over the top into gastro territory.
Who are your customers?
Visitors from all over the world and all over Scotland, who come to see brilliant traditional bars operating in one of the capital's most historic areas - but also a lot of regulars from the immediate local area.
What attracts people?
The atmosphere of a big, professional, traditional Edinburgh pub that we like to think has its act down to a T.
What are the issues affecting the trade in Edinburgh?
Licensing costs, and attempts to curb hours because of rowdy behaviour - which in fact comes from elsewhere as we shut at 1am and most of the problems happen at 3am.
Laura Shepherd is manager of the Hebrides Bar in Market Street, a Belhaven/ Greene King leased pub just around the corner from busy Waverley Station.
How much will a pint cost me?
It's £2.95 for lager and £3.05 for a 175ml glass of wine, £2.85 for a vodka and dash and £1.30 for a Coke.
Do you do food?
No - it's a small bar, and there isn't the capacity.
Who are your customers?
Mainly they're regulars or people with a particular fondness for our service style - old-fashioned good service and friendly banter. We get plenty of tourists too, but we don't rely on them.
What attracts people?
I like to think it's my winning smile - I think it's also the fact it's a bar with loads of character (not many pubs, even in Scotland, have earsplitting live pipers doing music spots), the sort of place where it's easy to make friends.
What are the issues affecting the licensed trade in Edinburgh?
Costs have gone through the roof, and I think keeping prices at a fair level that customers will accept has to be a main issue.
Lee Thorburn is manager of Thomson's Bar in Haymarket, owned by entrepreneur Michael McGuigan.
How much will a pint cost me?
Lager is £3.20 and other beers £2.90 to £3.30; a vodka and dash is £2.80 and a 175ml glass of wine is £2.90.
Do you do food?
Yes, really good pies - and that's about it! We just aren't a bar diner, and there are plenty of restaurant options nearby.
Who are your customers?
Discerning local people of all ages, and also visitors from farther afield who just like the vibe of the place and its special kind of service. Our customers are all important, and we're old-fashioned about the way we treat people.
What attracts people?
Award-winning beer, in part. But also I think many who become regulars are surprised to find a bar of the sort you expect to find in the busy Royal Mile operating in Haymarket, without the same heavy reliance on transient trade from visiting tourists.
What are the issues affecting the licensed trade in Edinburgh?
I think despite all the hassle the Licensing Act is a good thing. But we're being warned not to serve drunk people on the one hand and on the other the goalposts seem to have changed on what that really means.
Betty Greave is manager of the Central Bar at the foot of Leith Walk, right by the busy corner with Great Junction Street in Leith.
How much is a pint?
£2.60 for lager, and varying prices around the same mark for spirits depending on type. It is £1 for a Coke.
Do you do food?
Not in any big way; we're a classic old-fashioned bar where people come to have a pint and a chat.
Who are your customers?
Real Leith people who like real bars and who may be careful with their money but can't be
