Licensee defends decision to ban dominant pub quiz team

Adrian Bell, licensee of The Horn, St Albans, said he asked a trio of ‘professional’ pub quizzers to take a break from the competition as they were winning it every week.

“We were trying to do something to get us a bit more business on Monday nights. It was for regular customers for a bit of fun,” Bell explained.

The pub quiz used a rollover system from a £2 entry fee which reached more than £1,000. On one occasion the team won £800, and another £250, while they were winning the £40 bar tab for the top team almost every week.

Fall in trade

Other customers eventually became fed up, and the quiz went from attracting around 50 customers a week to less than 15.

“We’re trying to run a business. If profits start to drop off, we need to do something,” Bell said.

“Other customers were sick of them wining every week. We tried a handicap system, but that didn’t work, they still kept winning. They were professionals, they went to four or five pub quizzes a week. We asked them to take a break and they took it as they’ve been banned.”

"Insulted"

The team then spoke to local paper​ the St Albans Review​ to complain about the decision, said they were “insulted” by the pub and would be taking their custom elsewhere.

But Bell explained the team were not locals; they drove from nearby towns Luton and Dunstable, and the amount of money spent at the bar by the team was “negligible”.

The pub is now changing the system to prevent the jackpot from getting so high.

Professional

“We could have added terms and conditions when we started the quiz, but we didn’t think it would attract professional teams,” Bell continued.

“We’ve thought of different ways to change it. We could make it only a couple of hundred pounds maximum prize.

“We could also try not having the top team win the jackpot. Some give a prize to the second last. It’s easy to get every question wrong but not so easy to be second last,” he added.

The licensee explained he’s seen the team since the dispute and is happy to welcome them back to The Horn.