Pubs set to reap the rewards of bumper Christmas season

Pubs are reporting strong festive party bookings as well as being fully booked out for Christmas Day.

According Bookatable.co.uk, an increasing number of Brits plan to have their Christmas Day meal out at a pub or restaurant.

Bookings for Christmas Day have increased 12% year on year from 2015 to 2016. The uplift was 26% between 2014 and 2016.

In its latest results, Greene King revealed it was looking forward to a “successful festive season” because deposited bookings on all key dates were “up strongly” compared with last year.

It also revealed in its latest Leisure Spend Tracker that 28% of consumers expect to visit the pub in Christmas week.

Licensee Ashley Craig McCarthy of the Ye Olde Sun Inn in Colton, York, said the festive season was looking “positive” this year with strong bookings. Even though the pub is located outside the city centre, which can impact December sales, McCarthy said: “Looking at bookings we should do well this year.”

“Christmas Day is a big one for us, we have been full for some time, with a waiting list for any cancellations. We do one sitting and this year have 90 covers booked. All guests pre-order and sit between 12.15pm and 12.45pm. The bar is also open for drinkers from noon to 3pm,” he said. 

Seven-strong pub chain Red Mist Leisure also said that Christmas bookings were up on last year.

“We are pretty happy as our Christmas package bookings, which generally are up on last year,” said Mark Robson, co-founder of Red Mist Leisure.   

He said the chain of pubs focuses on driving sales and pre-booking parties in the lead up to Christmas Day.

“We used to open on Christmas Day and were always sold out but we don’t open any longer so we let the staff have the time off.”