THE ROLE OF the pub as a cultural asset has been the subject of public debate in recent weeks, and a vintners’ group has revealed it’s started the process of applying to have the Irish pub added to a Unesco list.
Almost 2,000 pubs have closed in Ireland in the last two decades. Meanwhile, the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) has highlighted how over 300 restaurants have closed in Ireland in just the last six months.
Across the sectors, owners and managers have been speaking about the increased pressures on their bottom line due to the increased cost of doing business.
With some evidence also pointing to an increase in the popularity of the phenomenon of ‘Dry January’ in Ireland in recent years, The Journal surveyed a selection of pubs across Ireland and asked how owners and workers were feeling about 2024, one month in.
“We accept that January is always quieter, but this year we can see how people’s spending power has reduced,” a publican at The Tavern in Castlerea, Waterford said.
“Where before you might have had a couple coming in three nights a week and having three drinks each, they’ll now come in two nights a week and drink less. We are genuinely concerned about the rising costs of everything. Breaking even has become the new doing well.”
In Wexford, an employee at Maggie May’s Bar described this January as “hit and miss” while a publican at Racey Byrnes Bar in Carlow said the month has been “very, very quiet, as no-one has any money left after Christmas”.
While both the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) and the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) say Christmas was profitable for pubs, a litany of changes being implemented this year could change that.
“The minimum wage has increased and sick pay entitlements are set to change,” said Brian Foley of the VFI.
“Pubs serving food will see more VAT and debt warehousing that was agreed by some businesses during the pandemic will also have to be paid.”
In recent weeks, the Government has acknowledged the pressure on businesses brought about as a result of debt warehousing, with the Minister for Finance promising to be flexible in his approach.
Some businesses have seen a benefit from the growing trend for non-alcoholic beers and spirits. Declan Delaney, Manager of Sean’s Bar in Athlone said: “Non-alcoholic drinks allow people to socialise and still go to work the next morning. Customers love the social element of the pub and still feeling like they have a pint in their hand.
“We now have ten alcohol-free products on offer and sales representatives are continuing to present us with even more samples coming on the market, so it’s really taken off.”
Free refills
A survey released by the non-alcoholic beer company Lucky Saint last month found that 50% of the 1,000 people asked were considering taking part in Dry January in a bid to save money and cut back on booze.
A staff member at a bar in Galway said the shift has not just been for Dry January but was noticeable over Christmas too.
“A lot more people are choosing our non-alcoholic options. Before we just had bottles, now we have Guinness and Carlsberg on draft, which sell really well. They cost almost the same as the alcoholic versions, so we’re not seeing a dip in profits either.”
A spokesperson for Matt Molloy’s in Westport agreed:
“We’ve seen an uptake in designated drivers choosing non-alcoholic beers for about a year now. It used to be minerals, but now it’s zero beers. People really like the taste.”
Dunnes Bar in Carrick-on-Shannon said its younger clientele opt for a different type of drink.
“We find that our alcohol-free gin is our best seller. We have a nightclub that attracts a lot of hens and stags, so most people come to drink alcohol, but there is still a market for the non-alcohol products as well.”
Brewdog, the superpub on Dublin’s south docks, is going one step further to attract those interested in tee-totalling. The bar offers free refills on its alcohol-free draft beer.
“You pay for the first one and you can have as many refills of the same beer as you like after that,” a staff member explained.
Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel meanwhile is also seeing the benefit of investing in low or non-alcoholic cocktails:
“Last year our non-alcoholic drinks trade represented 1% of sales”, said Food and Operations Manager Hector Gutierrez.
“Since we introduced a new and extended low and no alcohol drinks menu recently, this has now more than doubled to 2.3%, all in a very short space of time. And in the last few months, we have seen a marked increase in the number of customers requesting quality, non-alcoholic beverage options for events and celebrations.”
The term Dry January was officially coined in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK but its roots lie in a Finnish tradition called ‘Raitis tammikuu’ or Sober January.
Communications Director for the industry-funded safe drinking organisation Drinkaware Chris O’Lorcain said campaigns like Dry January and Sober October were having a positive impact on people’s relationship with alcohol.
“Our most recent annual barometer found that 16% of all drinkers find campaigns like Dry January or Sober October a useful way to moderate their drinking, while 36% say they would like to drink less.”
O’Lorcain added that social media terms such as “mindful drinking” or “sober curiosity” were also catching people’s attention and helping them analyse their drinking habits.
The shift, however, is not happening quickly enough, according to medical professionals.
The World Health Organisation released a report earlier this month citing that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health” and recently renewed pressure on governments to increase tax on alcohol.
It calculated that 2.6 million global deaths every year are alcohol-related. Europeans remain the biggest drinkers per person, while Germans consume the most.
The same study looked at the changes in drinking habits across Europe between 2010 and 2020, and found that Ireland and Lithuania recorded the highest drop in alcohol consumption during this decade.
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