Pubs urged to improve promotions and target families

The number of adults visiting a pub during a typical week has fallen to just 15% over the past nine months but they still want a good atmosphere and a quite drink with friends when they nip down to the boozer.

Those who visit pubs are most likely to be male (58% of visitors are), aged 25 to 34 (of which 25% of visitors are) and of C1 social status (meaning supervisory and clerical professions). They like to drink lager and spend £9.23 on an average visit.

The findings are courtesy of research group HIM!, which asked 125 questions to more than 5,000 customers and 700 employees. They unveiled the findings of their first OnTrack statistics for pubs and bars to pub company managers and suppliers in London yesterday.

Tom Fender, sales and marketing director at HIM!, urged operators to chase the family pound and become more child friendly. He said that families eating out in pubs could spend, on average 50% more per customer, but only 9% of all pub-goers go with their families.

He pointed to menu-ordering comparisons, where 15% of pub-goers order a hot meal but just 3% of those order a dessert.

“The margins on desserts are attractive and we need to ask why is the gap so wide? Could this be to do with the service or is it to do with the fact that in this country you do not order your main course and your dessert at the same time? Is this something we can change?”

He also challenged pubs to promote themselves more as well as becoming more local: “Some do not say when they serve lunch or what drinks they do. Is there a reason pubs cannot communicate?”

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By Christopher Walton

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