Most expensive pint in Dublin at the moment?

gavmcg92

drumswan wrote: »

JW Sweetmans is. Once again.

Was in there at the weekend. 5.35 for a pint.

drumswan

gavmcg92 wrote: »

Was in there at the weekend. 5.35 for a pint.

It's 4 euro for a pint of their own craft beers, vastly superior to any macro swill.

Koptain Liverpool

drumswan wrote: »

It's 4 euro for a pint of their own craft beers, vastly superior to any macro swill.

+ 1

Their own range is great. They have a pale ale, a red ale, a porter, a lager and a weiss beer.
The pale ale is especially good.

And €4 any time of day or night all week.

Lux23

Beefy78 wrote: »

3.20 is NOT a cheap pint.

Ok, it would cost the pub about €2 to just buy the alcohol, that doesn't factor in rates, rent, staff, water and electricity. Do you know how much it costs to run a multi line system in a pub? It's basically like leaving an empty tap running all year long.

If you're getting a pint for less than €3, there is very little profit being made.

Having said that selling a pint of lager for any more than €5/€5.50 is pure greed,

gavmcg92

drumswan wrote: »

It's 4 euro for a pint of their own craft beers, vastly superior to any macro swill.

Would have bought it if I saw them. Only saw the main taps.

Seaneh

listermint wrote: »

And you are privy to their pricing model in Ireland are you ?

Im genuinely intrigued as to your insight on this.

Funnilly enough, I can guarantee you that prices in the ROI (as they have designated the sales area) will not be much more than that of the prices in Northern Ireland. There will be a slight rise to compensate for the difference in Duty, rent, rates and wages, but I'd expect their beers to be €3 or thereabouts, €2-ish with a CARMA voucher (which they will be accepting in Ireland). They are aiming to offer Steak and a pint for €10 (once per week) and "curry club" (also once per week) for €7.50ish.

They will be using their UK supply chain, through NI (which they already ship to) to get the bulk of their range and will also be buying specials and casks from selected Irish Craft Breweries.

So any Irish publicans who were hoping that 'Spoons would go down the usual route of British companies in Ireand of having a totally different model in Ireland than the UK, well, though luck, they aren't that stupid, they have a model that works and they plan to stick to it.

Seaneh

Uaru wrote: »

If Wetherspoons can give me a decent pint of ale for less than €4 I will be a happy man.

Nowhere is getting anywhere near that price apart from the pitcher deal in the Living Room and the odd pub that have deals midweek.

Bull and Castle, monday - wednesday, €4 pints of Irish craft ales.

gavmcg92

Seaneh wrote: »

Funnilly enough, I can guarantee you that prices in the ROI (as they have designated the sales area) will not be much more than that of the prices in Northern Ireland. There will be a slight rise to compensate for the difference in Duty, rent, rates and wages, but I'd expect their beers to be €3 or thereabouts, €2-ish with a CARMA voucher (which they will be accepting in Ireland). They are aiming to offer Steak and a pint for €10 (once per week) and "curry club" (also once per week) for €7.50ish.

They will be using their UK supply chain, through NI (which they already ship to) to get the bulk of their range and will also be buying specials and casks from selected Irish Craft Breweries.

So any Irish publicans who were hoping that 'Spoons would go down the usual route of British companies in Ireand of having a totally different model in Ireland than the UK, well, though luck, they aren't that stupid, they have a model that works and they plan to stick to it.

I wouldn't be so sure if they're going to go 'that' cheap. If I was responsible for their stores here in Ireland, I would be thinking to myself, all we have to do is under-price them by a small amount and we'll get a good share of the market. Now I might be completely wrong but if your competitors are selling stuff at 5.70, you don't come in at 2 and a bit.

cson

Price point between €3-€4 for a pint and they'll have the place full all week and wedged on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday.

Seaneh

gavmcg92 wrote: »

I wouldn't be so sure if they're going to go 'that' cheap. If I was responsible for their stores here in Ireland, I would be thinking to myself, all we have to do is under-price them by a small amount and we'll get a good share of the market. Now I might be completely wrong but if your competitors are selling stuff at 5.70, you don't come in at 2 and a bit.

They don't care about their "competitors" any more than they do their UK competitors, they have a business model that has worked and they are going to copy and paste that onto the Irish market, just as the have done in the North.
They don't see Ireland as "new territory" but as an expansion of their current operations. It's the same company with the same suppliers and the same management, they see no reason to change their approach other than to correct for the differences in operating costs. Pints in Dublin will be marginally more than pints in Sligo or Galway just like Pints in London are marginally more than pints in Northern England (because of different costs), but the differences won't be huge. I'd actually expect their Dublin costs to be roughly in line with their costs in the south of England.


They are opening 30 bars throughout Ireland, not just 1 or 2 in Dublin.

drumswan

I would be very surprised if they can deliver sub 3 euro pints in Dublin city. Surprised and delighted. Operating retail in central Dublin is horrifically expensive.

Seaneh

drumswan wrote: »

I would be very surprised if they can deliver sub 3 euro pints in Dublin city. Surprised and delighted. Operating retail in central Dublin is horrifically expensive.

I don't know about sub €3 as normal, but with CARMA vouchers, yes, they will be offering sub €3 pints.

cson

Seaneh wrote: »

They don't see Ireland as "new territory" but as an expansion of their current operations.

I think a lot of Irish people struggle with the fact that UK retailers don't see us as a separate country but as a region that makes up their headline UK revenue. Tesco for example don't disclose their Irish figures, its rolled into the UK figures.

We're about the same population wise as Greater Manchester. In other words; not as significant as we like think we are to them.

Lux23

cson wrote: »

I think a lot of Irish people struggle with the fact that UK retailers don't see us as a separate country but as a region that makes up their headline UK revenue. Tesco for example don't disclose their Irish figures, its rolled into the UK figures.

We're about the same population wise as Greater Manchester. In other words; not as significant as we like think we are to them.

It's incredibly stupid for any new company coming into Ireland to think like that though, we are very tribal and we are quite different to the British market. For instance, a bar with no chairs or stools will not go down well here. If Wetherspoons think they can use the same model here and for it to work long term they must be actually that stupid.

But you also have to think about why people choose to drink where they do, why did they choose their local? For many, price can be irrelevant - it might be more about atmosphere, the craic, family connections to the bar etc. This is why I don't think Wetherspoons will go down as well here, we aren't used to chains of bars that are all the same and very often it's the uniqueness of a bar that is celebrated not its cheapness.

After all it's very easy to sell things on the cheap and do well, creating something new and different like Mulligans or the Bernard Shaw is not going to be easy.

I hope for Wetherspoons sake that they did their research, because if they have the same attitude as you seem to think they do, they're fecked.

Geuze

Seaneh wrote: »

Funnilly enough, I can guarantee you that prices in the ROI (as they have designated the sales area) will not be much more than that of the prices in Northern Ireland. There will be a slight rise to compensate for the difference in Duty, rent, rates and wages, but I'd expect their beers to be €3 or thereabouts, €2-ish with a CARMA voucher (which they will be accepting in Ireland). They are aiming to offer Steak and a pint for €10 (once per week) and "curry club" (also once per week) for €7.50ish.

The Beernut recently paid 2.29 stg for a special pint in JDW in NI.

http://thebeernut.blogspot.ie/2013/10/hey-jd.html

Excise duty on beer is higher in NI, well it was before the 10c rise Budget 2014.

VAT at 20% is lower than the 23% in RoI.

So between excise and VAT, that can only account for maybe 5% price difference.

Now rents / rates / wages are higher in RoI.

So I will add 25% for higher costs and convert to euro at 1 euro = 85p, and I get 3.37 euro.

That seems to suggest that 3.50 pints are possible in JDW in Dublin??

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

It's incredibly stupid for any new company coming into Ireland to think like that though, we are very tribal and we are quite different to the British market. For instance, a bar with no chairs or stools will not go down well here. If Wetherspoons think they can use the same model here and for it to work long term they must be actually that stupid.

But you also have to think about why people choose to drink where they do, why did they choose their local? For many, price can be irrelevant - it might be more about atmosphere, the craic, family connections to the bar etc. This is why I don't think Wetherspoons will go down as well here, we aren't used to chains of bars that are all the same and very often it's the uniqueness of a bar that is celebrated not its cheapness.

After all it's very easy to sell things on the cheap and do well, creating something new and different like Mulligans or the Bernard Shaw is not going to be easy.

I hope for Wetherspoons sake that they did their research, because if they have the same attitude as you seem to think they do, they're fecked.

Because the "craic" is special in most city centre bars? It's not. The likes of The Black Sheep, Against the Grain and other craft beer pubs have zero atmosphere. The Shaw and Mulligans are different in that they're going for an entirely different thing and they are no ones locals.

Wetherspoons have seats and if they have nice beers at half the price the likes of the Galway Group and the Porterhouse are going to get the kick up the hoop they deserve.

I got a pint of Hop Head in the Porterhouse last week, it was 5.20 and it's crap. Same as the Galway Brewery crap. Wetherspoons are likely to offer better ales at half the price.

Lux23

There is great craic in dozens of city centre pubs from the Boars Head to Toners, I also never mentioned The Black Sheep or the Porterhouse? Nochain of super pubs run by a English
corporation who are think they can treatthe Irish market is ever going to be able to compete with the Irish local. R

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

There is great craic in dozens of city centre pubs from the Boars Head to Toners, I also never mentioned The Black Sheep or the Porterhouse? Nochain of super pubs run by a English
corporation who are think they can treatthe Irish market is ever going to be able to compete with the Irish local. R

Fair enough but I am not interested in Toners or the Boars Head or the vast majority of bars where I can't get a decent drink. I go to a pub to drink. The craic is where your mates are at the end of the day.

I don't know about the Boars Head but Toners is part of a chain. A disguised chain but still a chain.

Lux23

Uaru wrote: »

Fair enough but I am not interested in Toners or the Boars Head or the vast majority of bars where I can't get a decent drink.

Are you honestly saying you can't wait to buy craft beer from a soulless corporation? Kinda defeats the purpose. Wetherspoons are like Tesco, they buy in bulk therefore making it impossible for suppliers to say no their business even though their profit is down considerably.

In another year or so, craft beers should reach a much higher rate of penetration.

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

Are you honestly saying you can't wait to buy craft beer from a soulless corporation? Kinda defeats the purpose. Wetherspoons are like Tesco, they buy in bulk therefore making it impossible for suppliers to say no their business even though their profit is down considerably.

In another year or so, craft beers should reach a much higher rate of penetration.

Do you shop in Tesco, Lidl or Aldi?

If they offer something I can't currently get from the current soulless corporations on the go at the moment of course I'm going to go there.

A few groups own most of the pubs in Dublin and all of them are at the mercy of Diagio so those pubs stocking cheap craft beer is further off than you think. Maybe Wetherspoons will change that. There's shag all difference.

Lux23

Uaru wrote: »

Do you shop in Tesco, Lidl or Aldi?

If they offer something I can't currently get from the current soulless corporations on the go at the moment of course I'm going to go there.

A few groups own most of the pubs in Dublin and all of them are at the mercy of Diagio. There's shag all difference.

I do when I have to, but I am lucky in that I have a local green grocer, butcher and fishmongers where I can do most of my shopping. I try to avoid Tesco though, because their pricing is sneaky.

If all you go to a pub to do is drink, then why not buy the nice beers you want from an off license and drink them at home? Why bother with a pub?

You are right about the Diageo thing, but they don't really interfere with the business itself.

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

I do when I have to, but I am lucky in that I have a local green grocer, butcher and fishmongers where I can do most of my shopping. I try to avoid Tesco though, because their pricing is sneaky.

If all you go to a pub to do is drink, then why not buy the nice beers you want from an off license and drink them at home? Why bother with a pub?

You have a problem with Tescos sneaky prices but have no problem handing over your money to the established rip off pubs in Ireland? I'll take Wetherspoons who promote local brewery's in England and hopefully Ireland when they get here.

I go to the pub to drink and have the craic with my mates. If there isn't good drink I won't go there. My mates can move around but a rip off crap pub is what it is. Thinking that the likes of Toners is some independent cottage industry is nonsense. They're no different to Wetherspoons apart from that they charge more for worse beer.

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

You are right about the Diageo thing, but they don't really interfere with the business itself.

You would be surprised.

Lux23

I know quite a bit about running a pub, as my partner owns one. I have heard that whispered before, but there's only one way they could interfere with a pubs taps - they may well have supplied the multi that cools the beer. I mean they give you feck all support, so what can they threaten a pub with?

Lux23

Uaru wrote: »

You have a problem with Tescos sneaky prices but have no problem handing over your money to the established rip off pubs in Ireland? I'll take Wetherspoons who promote local brewery's in England and hopefully Ireland when they get here.

I go to the pub to drink and have the craic with my mates. If there isn't good drink I won't go there. My mates can move around but a rip off crap pub is what it is. Thinking that the likes of Toners is some independent cottage industry is nonsense. They're no different to Wetherspoons apart from that they charge more for worse beer.

I don't go to pubs that are overly expensive unless they are offering me something else like a match I can't watch at home.

Toners is a bad example, but there are lots of family owned pubs around my area that are completely independent and I would prefer to support them. I'm in Stoneybatter/Smithfield and we are spoiled for choice around here.

Uaru

Lux23 wrote: »

I don't go to pubs that are overly expensive unless they are offering me something else like a match I can't watch at home.

Toners is a bad example, but there are lots of family owned pubs around my area that are completely independent and I would prefer to support them. I'm in Stoneybatter/Smithfield and we are spoiled for choice around here.

Fair enough and I do have a lot of time for independent pubs. My favourite bar in town is a one off but they try and keep their prices down and have something that no one else does.

Barna77

Lux23 wrote: »

But you also have to think about why people choose to drink where they do, why did they choose their local? For many, price can be irrelevant - it might be more about atmosphere, the craic, family connections to the bar etc. This is why I don't think Wetherspoons will go down as well here, we aren't used to chains of bars that are all the same and very often it's the uniqueness of a bar that is celebrated not its cheapness.

Agreed. It also depends on who you go with, more or less what you're looking for. As I mentioned before, if I go for a pint with my mates and have some good banter then we'll head for O'Reillys. But come the weekend and I like to enjoy a pint in Grogans in the early afternoon, when it's still nice and quite, before it gets too busy. I'll go there with a different crowd. Like it there, and good atmosphere. Plus I'm tired of shouting for any conversation.

And don't forget their ham and cheese toastie!

reprazant

Who owns Toners?

listermint

cson wrote: »

I think a lot of Irish people struggle with the fact that UK retailers don't see us as a separate country but as a region that makes up their headline UK revenue. Tesco for example don't disclose their Irish figures, its rolled into the UK figures.

We're about the same population wise as Greater Manchester. In other words; not as significant as we like think we are to them.

Thats total amaze balls because manchester has a population of 2.5 million or so. That really doesnt sound like Ireland.

And yes for Tesco Ireland is a very significant part of their revenue stream (very significant) They roll their figures into the UK ones to cost cut from an audit and financial perspective not to mention HR. Its all part of cost cutting.

If you think Ireland is a drop in the ocean to tesco it shows your naivety.

Uaru

reprazant wrote: »

Who owns Toners?

Frank and Michael Quinn if I'm not mistaken.