Pub survey gives food for thought to vintners

The average spend on a night out for the thirsty Dublin pubgoer is a pretty steep €81, according to a new study.

The Behaviour and Attitudes survey on behalf of the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) also found that some six out of ten Dublin pubgoers believe using Facebook while on a night on the town is antisocial. Surprisingly, the figure was highest among 18 to 34 year olds, rising to 66% for this age group.

A total of 40% said they believe that pub televisions should only be switched on for sport only. Some 15% believe it should be on all the time while 28% had no opinion on the matter.

Sport wasn’t the only area where noticeable differences emerge between the sexes. According to the survey six out of ten people believe the main benefit of a night out with their partner is that it improves their relationship.

However, men seem a lot keener to do this than women with 79% of them saying it’s important to go for a drink with their partner while this drops to 72% for women.

Some 41% of men felt a trip to the pub might help increase the chances of romance for later in the evening, while women were slightly less optimistic with just 30% feeling a night out would help spark some fun in the bedroom.

When asked what pubs could do to attract more customers, respondents said they should reduce prices, increase drink and food promotions, improve the food offering, create a good atmosphere and provide entertainment.

Commenting on the study, chief executive of the LVA Donall O’Keeffe said while the vast majority of people came to pubs to meet up with their friends, it was also clear that social media and television, particularly sport on television, have important roles to play.

“The fact that 60% of people think being on social media in a pub is highly anti social is really interesting. But it’s not a simple yes or no to social media. While we may not like seeing people on Facebook in company, a substantial majority — 60% — said a good pub should have wifi.

“So even if people are not on Facebook or Snapchat or betting websites all the time, it’s clear that having access to them for a range of devices is really important and it’s something our members will have to take on board,” he said.

Mr O’Keeffe said it was also interesting as to how men differed radically from women when it came to having a night out with workmates.

“Guys see a lot more to those night out than do girls and particularly value it as a place to learn office gossip, discuss career opportunities in casual surroundings, brainstorm new ideas and even get free drink from the boss.

“It was the same when we asked people would they like to own their own pub. Over a third of respondents said they would, but the figure for men was almost twice the figure for women,” he said.