OPINION: The three injustices that must be fixed
Do we moan about too many things?
Opinion & Interviews
OPINION: Why your voice matters in shaping arbitration under the pubs code
Running a pub is demanding and often unpredictable. For tied tenants, the pubs code provides important rights and transparency from their pub company.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Opening pubs with school friends ‘best decision ever’ says Three Cheers Pub Co. boss
Three Cheers Pub Co. boss Tom Peake describes his business partners as “a band of brothers”.
OPINION: Sober October schemes can help the sector
Sober October can divide opinions – particularly for on-trade business – but can offering drinks without alcohol help boost the bottom line?
OPINION
OPINION: Pubgoers want greater choice
Sat among some incredible publicans at the Great British Pub Awards last month, I was struck by how many of the winners say they put their success down to “doing the basics really well,” day in, day out.
OPINION
OPINION: Pints and purpose: how pubs can secure their future
What is the role of the pub of the future? Do pubs, and hospitality, need to re-invent themselves to remain relevant and viable in our ever-changing world?
OPINION
OPINION: In search of authenticity in pub culture
Can British pub culture meet Middle Eastern culture, and can there be any authenticity in this?
OPINION
OPINION: No man is an island
I don’t know if the poet John Donne ever made it down to his local, but he certainly nailed it with his line: ‘No Man is an Island’.
OPINION
OPINION: Hospitality left on the tarmac
I was surprised to see Chancellor Rachel Reeves declare the Government’s promise to ‘kick-start the economy’ was underway after Gatwick Airport’s £2.2bn second runway plan was approved.
OPINION: Now is the Time: Why inclusion must remain a focus for hospitality
This year’s National Inclusion Week arrives with a timely reminder - “Now is the Time” to put inclusion at the centre of our sector’s future.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Longbow boss: I’ve always been in the industry – even before I was born
Peak District-based Longbow Venues opened its first site a month before Covid kicked in – but owner Rob Hattersley has been in hospitality a long time and his business is now flying high.
OPINION
OPINION: Is it safety or sales pushing the lower drink-drive limit?
I received a press release the other day from an organisation called AlcoSense applauding the Government for proposing a lower drink-drive limit.
OPINION
OPINION: Why being sustainable is good for business – and the soul
Not everyone understands sustainability does help pub businesses get stronger.
OPINION
OPINION: Government ignorance is indefensible
The Prime Minister’s Questions in Westminster last week once again highlighted the sheer ignorance of the Government over the position they have put the hospitality sector in.
OPINION
OPINION: Tackling hostility in hospitality
Hospitality is all about people – it’s that warm welcome and sense of community that makes pubs great places to be.
OPINION
Is BrewDog actually BrewDog any more?
Normally, when senior personnel change at the top of a company, no one doubts that the company is still the same.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Tom Bott is making all the Signature moves
When The Libertines are playing a gig at your brewery and one of your most cherished photos is of lead singer Pete Doherty holding your one-year-old daughter, you’re doing pretty well.
OPINION
OPINION: Gen Z’s importance in the evolution of hospitality in 2025
The hospitality sector is undergoing significant transformation in 2025 – and the changing preferences of Gen Z consumers have a key part to play.
OPINION: Trade bodies must unite to save pubs
The British pub is facing a slow-motion catastrophe.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Steve Moore on Red Engine’s wild global ride
“What the hell is going on?!” That is Steve Moore’s reaction to the realisation a business he co-founded 12 years ago has opened sites as far afield as New York and Sydney.
REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Revel Collective boss: The industry is overtaxed
Business rates, proposed changes to the drink-driving limit and weight loss jabs were the headlines discussed by Revel Collective CEO Rob Pitcher and The Morning Advertiser’s Ed Bedington this week.
OPINION
OPINION: Is proposed drink-drive limit the death knell for rural pubs?
After surviving the financial and emotional battering of Covid-19, rural pubs across the UK are now facing a fresh wave of challenges – once again from the very Government that should be protecting them.
OPINION
OPINION: Has the pub industry lost sight of the guest?
When you visit pubs today, it is clear the standard of customer experience and the quality of training offered, vary hugely from site to site and business to business.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: The busiest year ever for Wye Valley Brewery
Having taken on the role of leading Wye Valley Brewery’s beer production when it moved away from the back of a pub, Vernon Amor has overseen continual growth for the business that also operates seven pubs.
OPINION: How hospitality can adapt and thrive in a high-wage, high-price economy
I believe in a high-wage, high-price economy.
OPINION
OPINION: The huge opportunity being missed out on
The role of Government is to help things that are good while taxing less good things – using that money to support parts of society that need it.
THE LOW & NO PROJECT
OPINION: The category that continues to defy description
In September 2016, I sat looking quizzically at a bottle of BrewDog’s Nanny State.
OPINION
OPINION: Why we’ve introduced service charge for the first time in 25 years
When we opened the Olive Branch in Clipsham back in December 1999, I never wanted to introduce service charge.
OPINION
OPINION: Tetchy Telegraph tirade a malignant and unnecessary swipe
The recent piece on “rip-off” pubs by The Telegraph’s associate editor Ben Marlow perhaps says more about the increasingly clickbait-ridden newspaper, and the writer’s tentative grasp on reality, than it does about the modern pub sector.
OPINION
OPINION: Sustainability is a key marketing aspect for your business
I’m feeling like Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion of Daktari fame at the moment – the popular character from the children’s Africa-based TV show aired during the 1960s and ’70s (No? Google it – it was iconic at the time).
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: How Small Beer founders are making a big noise
Despite a frustration in the lack of opportunities offered in many tied pubs in London, Small Beer is making a big noise in the mid strength beer category.
OPINION
OPINION: To open or not to open?
I was once given a mug that says “I’m head chef, of course I’m right,” and anyone who has worked with chefs for any period of time can attest to that tendency.
OPINION: ‘Playschool economics’ needs to end to avoid catastrophe
Now, I’m not an economist, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
OPINION
OPINION: How to enjoy a pint just like the Spanish do
There’s little more that many people (myself included) look forward to than that first holiday beer.
OPINION
OPINION: We need more than nice words from Labour
“You can’t rebuild Britain without backing pubs.” Words I wasn’t expecting to hear from a Labour MP.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Asahi’s Rob Hobart is leading the charge with passion and bold moves
Asahi UK marketing director Rob Hobart isn’t afraid of taking risks and doing things differently.
OPINION
OPINION: Later opening is not the answer, again...!
Legislation to enable pubs to stay open later for major national events has been welcomed.
OPINION
OPINION: Pubs have huge role to play in improving the food system
Last week, I watched a film called Hungry for Change by Save our Wild Isles. It’s not long, only 50 minutes and free on BBC iPlayer.
OPINION
Partnership for pubs: Why collaboration is key to sector resilience
In challenging times, collaboration isn’t a nice to have – it’s essential for the long term success of the hospitality sector.
OPINION
OPINION: Sticking it to us, more like
“Stick with us” says the Government to an industry that actually feels like the Government is sticking it to us.
OPINION
OPINION: The role of ACVs in the pub sector
The British pub is more than just a place to enjoy a pint, it’s a cornerstone of local communities, a hub for social interaction and often a vital part of the local economy.
OPINION: Is a free-of-tie tap the answer to all our prayers?
In the world of beer, cask ale holds a cherished place as a symbol of tradition and craftsmanship.
OPINION: Adapt or die
With more and more pubs closing each day, as the impact of the Chancellor’s Budget continues to bite, I wonder whether, as an industry, we’re not helping ourselves.
OPINION
OPINION: Brits want to treat themselves to spirits in the on-trade
One of the first things I stress to someone joining Diageo’s on-trade team is we have a commitment to put the operator at the heart of what we do.
Local legends: How pubs are powering stronger communities
As CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), I have the privilege of working with thousands of passionate, hardworking licensees across the UK.
OPINION: Are pubs being held over a barrel?
The term ‘held over a barrel’ means ‘to be in a difficult or disadvantageous position, often where you have little choice but to do what someone else wants’...
OPINION
OPINION: Two extra hours of trading pubs didn’t need
When the Government announced extended licensing hours for VE Day, the official line was it would be “a welcomed boost to the hospitality industry”.