Speaking to the BBC, Mackenzie said consumers were ordering beers and burgers from delivery apps and visiting cafes over their local pub.
“[Cafes] are taking away leisure time from the pub. People are choosing to go into coffee shops,” he said. “They are part of that competitor set, as are delivery [apps].”
The Greene King boss explained a reduction in alcohol consumption had contributed to this.
“My experience - and certainly from my own family - I know young people are still out going to pubs and drinking, but we are also having to adapt to trends around well-being, trends towards low-and-no alcohol”, he said.
Mackenzie added the coffee offering at Greene King’s 2,700-strong estate was now “credible” and the Suffolk-based company was selling more than “ever before”.
Earlier dayparts
His comments come after operators told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) they were finding ways to embrace earlier dayparts to compete with digital subscription services and coffee shops.
Data from CGA by NIQ also confirmed this trend, with mid-afternoon (2pm to 5pm) and early evening (5pm to 8pm) visits to pubs having increased by 1.5 percentage points (pp) and 0.9pp respectively year-on-year.
Lunch occasions in the on-trade have also risen 0.4pp compared to a year ago while late evening (8pm to 10pm) and late night (10pm onwards) visits decreased 1.3pp and 1.7pp respectively.
Meanwhile, recent data from Barclaycard showed consumer spending on digital content and subscription services saw a 5.6% uptick year-on-year in August, compared to 0.5% in pubs and bars.
It follows news that the number of pubs in England and Wales, including those vacant and to let, dropped to 38,780 this year.
The figures, which covered to the end of June 2025, revealed pub numbers were down 209 in six months with 2,283 lost since 2020, according to global tax firm Ryan.
Important role
However, research from Zonal, CGA by NIQ and UKHospitality this week underlined the vital social and emotional role that pubs, bars and restaurants play across the UK.
The GO Technology: The Social Value of Hospitality report, based on a survey of 5,000 British adults, 69% of consumers felt hospitality played an important role in their communities, while 74% believed the industry deserved more support from the Government.
Mackenzie also spoke about the important role pubs play in communities.
Ahead of the upcoming autumn Budget, the Greene King boss told the BBC the sector faced an “avalanche of costs” and called for the Government to follow through on its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system.
He said: “This industry pays more tax than others. And the business rate specifically is disproportionate. [The Government] have said they’re going to change it, now they need to do it.”
