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Rural pub loosing face and looking for ideas

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    #32
    rainbowdash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 878 ✭✭✭rainbowdash


    Buy bottles of Heineken / miller / budweiser for 75c in dunnes / tesco / aldi and sell them 3 for €5 in an ice bucket.


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    #33
    blindside88
    Registered Users Posts: 1,968 ✭✭✭blindside88


    rainbowdash wrote: »
    Buy bottles of Heineken / miller / budweiser for 75c in dunnes / tesco / aldi and sell them 3 for €5 in an ice bucket.


    Afaik this can't legally be done, not for individual resale. I could be wrong on this. However if it was illegal and done I can't see how it would be discovered


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    #34
    Bicky
    Registered Users Posts: 878 ✭✭✭Bicky


    puffishoes wrote: »
    You could always do something really outrageous.

    Like lower the price of the pint.

    I know, it's always the last place you look :)

    The OP has stated in his original post that it could be time to close the doors soon. Obviously he is under pressure and dropping his prices and consequently his net profit is not going to do him any good.


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    #35
    Formation
    Registered Users Posts: 712 ✭✭✭Formation


    How much is a top quality commercial coffee machine?

    what is the cost price per cup of good quality cappuccino?


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    #36
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    rainbowdash wrote: »
    Buy bottles of Heineken / miller / budweiser for 75c in dunnes / tesco / aldi and sell them 3 for €5 in an ice bucket.

    I love it!
    blindside88 wrote: »
    Afaik this can't legally be done, not for individual resale. I could be wrong on this. However if it was illegal and done I can't see how it would be discovered

    Nothing illegal about it
    Not for individual resale is just instructions from the supplier, you can break them up if you want

    The worst that can happen is your supplier gives out and won't sell to you.


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    #37
    blindside88
    Registered Users Posts: 1,968 ✭✭✭blindside88


    Thanks for clearing that up, as I said not sure whether it was illegal or not


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    #38
    shaunandelly
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭shaunandelly


    I always fancied being picked up for the pub in a big horse drawn cart just like the westerns and then the return journey and being booted out on the way home. If it was a lot nearer closing time more people would come.


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    #39
    rainbowdash
    Closed Accounts Posts: 878 ✭✭✭rainbowdash


    Bicky wrote: »
    The OP has stated in his original post that it could be time to close the doors soon. Obviously he is under pressure and dropping his prices and consequently his net profit is not going to do him any good.

    Why would it lead to lower profit?

    Lower prices may lead to more customers, and more profit.

    People may start off on 3 bottles for €5 and end the night sloshing vodka and red bull.

    Some pubs do Guinness for €3 not everybody will drink it so if you get 2 lads through the door on bulmers and 1 on Guinness you are quids in.


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    #40
    Janedoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭Janedoe10


    Food or nibbles can go down a treat . I'm sure u could advertise cheaply enough in local mags , newsletters For any events u have
    .. Depending on the passing trade and profile u could do theme nights Mexican night(? Nachos . Deal night . Pizza theme night . Getting in local themes or group meetings or offering them a place to stay/ meet can increase your profile . Euro 2012 coming up u could have a deal or something during those nights .
    Irish stew night and a pint for a certain price ..
    If u know a local chef u could come to some arrangement ... And ya if toilets are Mank people won't be returning ...


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    #41
    Frynge
    Registered Users Posts: 1,667 ✭✭✭Frynge


    Formation wrote: »
    How much is a top quality commercial coffee machine?

    About €6000 and up

    http://gaggia.ie/machine/gaggia-d90-evolution/
    what is the cost price per cup of good quality cappuccino?

    About 22cent per cup


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    #42
    EGAR
    Registered Users Posts: 2,874 ✭✭✭EGAR


    No ideas as such but living in rural Galway with lots of friends who used to go to the pub and now have parties at home, the two biggies for them are transport after a night out and standing in p*ssing rain outside the pub with a fag, freezing their behinds off. And that is before the price of a pint comes into it.

    I don't drink and never been a pub person but the above is what I can gather from my friends and acquaintances.

    I know smoking in pubs is illegal but a lot of pubs have no facilities for smokers where they can stand/sit protected from the elements etc.


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    #43
    Formation
    Registered Users Posts: 712 ✭✭✭Formation


    Jesus thats an incredibly high price for a commercial coffee machine.


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    #44
    ScumLord
    Registered Users Posts: 28,789 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    nacimroc wrote: »
    WIFI: Its a small thing but it costs nothing and its a nice addition to a place.
    It doesn't cost nothing. There's the obvious cost of the broadband but you also can't really just stick in a bog standard wireless router. You're going to have to spend a bit on a proper wireless access point, they're not awful expensive though, you can get one for around €300 but then your going to have to get someone to set it up properly. This has to be done to protect the publican more than anything.

    Wifi would make a big difference to me though, it was great in the UK to go into a pub have a pint and go on the internet for free.
    Frynge wrote: »
    About €6000 and up

    http://gaggia.ie/machine/gaggia-d90-evolution/



    About 22cent per cup
    This is the reply I got last time I asked a publican why they didn't just start serving coffee. Big investment and expensive to run to boot.


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    #45
    ssbob
    Registered Users Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭ssbob


    ScumLord wrote: »
    This is the reply I got last time I asked a publican why they didn't just start serving coffee. Big investment and expensive to run to boot.

    Coffee machines are expensive to run & buy but it is not rocket science to make a decent cup of tea or coffee and charge €1.50-€2.00 without using a coffee machine.

    Money is to be made on minerals too so might be a good thing to encourage young kids teams in with their parents after a game.


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    #46
    caff
    Registered Users Posts: 954 ✭✭✭caff


    ScumLord wrote: »
    It doesn't cost nothing. There's the obvious cost of the broadband but you also can't really just stick in a bog standard wireless router. You're going to have to spend a bit on a proper wireless access point, they're not awful expensive though, you can get one for around €300 but then your going to have to get someone to set it up properly. This has to be done to protect the publican more than anything.

    Wifi would make a big difference to me though, it was great in the UK to go into a pub have a pint and go on the internet for free.

    This is the reply I got last time I asked a publican why they didn't just start serving coffee. Big investment and expensive to run to boot.

    Often see coffee machines up for sale here, not sure how much they go for but its worth a look http://www.wilsonsauctions.com/dublin_disposals.asp


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    #47
    helimachoptor
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 21,658 Mod ✭✭✭✭helimachoptor


    OP, my OH is from very rural Mayo!
    some of the things they've done.

    - Bridge night
    - Poker night
    - Annual festival (healy fest) each year
    - Local bands playing each weekend

    They do food.. but no HSE certs etc etc


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    #48
    syklops
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    ad1234 wrote: »
    people are drinking at home so make it more homley maybe. there is also a pub near me that sells cans as the customers are not well off, its cheaper but they make the profits on the food and the high volumes of sales, if its cheaper they drink more :) good luck...

    The reason people are drinking at home is not so they can play the x-box, its because you can get 6 beers for a fiver.

    As someone else said, you need to make the prices seem crazy cheap.

    Happy hour with 1 euro a shot? Basically sell the shots at cost, and make profit on the pints?


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    #49
    ssbob
    Registered Users Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭ssbob


    syklops wrote: »
    The reason people are drinking at home is not so they can play the x-box, its because you can get 6 beers for a fiver.

    As someone else said, you need to make the prices seem crazy cheap.

    Happy hour with 1 euro a shot? Basically sell the shots at cost, and make profit on the pints?

    Happy hours are illegal now, you can do a full day of cheap pints but not happy hours.

    Ya it is cheaper to drink at home but also another factor is obviously drink driving being an issue so the taxi deal would be a good idea.

    Has anyone got the breakdown of a pint by:
    1. Cost
    2. Excise
    3. O.H's
    4. Vat
    5. Profit
    Average even?


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    #50
    syklops
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    Happy hours are illegal now, you can do a full day of cheap pints but not happy hours.

    /me shakes head.

    Sorry didn't know that. Any way around it? Like raffling shots? Get everyone to buy a ticket for a euro, when you hit the cost of a bottle of vodka, you do a draw, and whoever wins, gets to line up the shots, maybe similar to the guinness raffle idea earlier.

    I bet you would love for the government to get out of your pub.


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    #51
    getz
    Registered Users Posts: 5,255 ✭✭✭getz


    this may give you a few ideas,there is a pub called the dying cow in stratnakell,tinahely co, wicklow,its about the size of a outside toilet [and smells like one] yet its world famous,always packed out with tourist [like me] it has its own website,if they can make it a success so can you,


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    #52
    dec25532
    Registered Users Posts: 809 ✭✭✭dec25532


    Earlier posts spoke about prices and they are dead right. A couple going out for five drinks, for example, costs in the region of €50. Add in a taxi and childminder and suddenly this is a luxury that is not done very often.
    Anyway, back to the point. When the missus goes out with her friends, they go to a pub which does a full bottle of very decent house wine for €12. They might order three bottles and sometimes have a night out for less than a tenner. They see lots of others doing the same thing and the pub has a great crowd on a Thursday night. Only a suggestion.


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    #53
    Janedoe10
    Registered Users Posts: 469 ✭✭Janedoe10


    I got a laugh there about that pub and looked it up story about its nick name is good http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dying_Cow_Pub_Stranakelly.jpg#section_2


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    #54
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    What a name!

    It's so strange it's funny :D


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    #55
    BnB
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭BnB


    Hi OP

    I'm living out the country myself. I would love to by a pub. I see so so many rural pubs being run badly. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for my own sake) I just can't at the minute as I don't have the money, and even if I did, I think my wife would leave me. Annyway, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I would do with it....

    Here are some randon thoughts...


    1) Transport
    By far and away IMO, the main reason people don't go to rural pubs any more is Drink Driving. Stricter drink driving laws have cut out what I call "Casual" rural drinking. i.e. Calling in for a few pints on your way home from a match/funeral etc. If you want to go for a few pints you have to organise a taxi or a lift home and it's just not worth the trouble. Because of this, people only end up going out on big nights out when there's something on and when it's worth while organising a taxi.

    If I ever get to buy my pub, the very first thing I'll do is buy myself a cheap minibus. Nothing fancy. It'll probably never travel any more than 10 miles from the pub. Then every single night when you are closing the door, you need to be asking who wants a lift home. It might take a while to catch on, but people need to get to know (and then be able to rely on) that if they call into your pub for a pint, you'll drop them home at closing time.

    2) Clubs
    You need to make friends with every single club/organisation in the parish/village. And you'd be surprised how many there are. In my own parish for example I can think of:
    • GAA (HUrling & Camogie - 2 Clubs)
    • Parish Council
    • Parents Association (School)
    • Bridge Club
    • Gun Club
    • IFA
    • Golf Society (If there isn't one - Start one)
    If you have any kind of a private room you can use for meetings, that would be great. Most of these are probably meeting in a parish hall or something like that. Pain in the bum. You've to get the key off Paddy Joe, go in and turn on the heaters, set up a few chairs etc etc etc. Offer themn free tea & coffee or something like that and the use of the room for their meetings.
    You'll probably make very little out of it directly (i.e. On the night) but indirectly it will help you in a few ways...
    • It'll put cars outside your door on a Tuesday or Wednesday night and give the place a look of life.
    • It will bring people in who probably don't usually come to you. It'll give you a chance to show off to them what a fine, clean, well run spot your pub is and maybe the next time they are going for a pint, they might swing your way.

    3) Food
    I wouldn't go down the full bar food route straight away, but you do need to be able to serve finger food at least. Even if you never charge for it. It could be the key to:
    a) getting some people in and
    b) Keeping them there.
    As someone mentioned above. Get onto your local GAA/Soccer/Rugby/Whatever team. Tell them you'll do free food after all their home games. Any night you think you might have a bit of a crowd in, throw them out a bit of food at some stage in the night. You'd be surprised how much people appreciate it.
    Also on food, someone up there had an idea about the Dinner night with €5 steaks or something like that. I love it. Brilliant idea.

    4) Wine
    No matter how rural you are now, you are going to have to offer a selection of wine. More and more people drink it. I'd also agree with what someone else said above, I don't know anything about wine, but I always thought those small one serving bottles looked very sh1tty.
    An idea that I had (and I don't know if it would work or not).... I would buy a selection of wines even from Tesco or somewhere like that. I know nothing whatsoever about wine, so I'd bring someone who knows what they are doing and buy some semi-decent stuff. Possibly buy through a wine club maybe. Store it somewhere in the pub. Somewhere where people can go and browse the bottles themselves. A lot of people who drink wine are into it and would possibly like that. Keep it simple have just one price per bottle. Of course have a house red & white for people who mightn't be into that. Just an idea - Not sure if it would work.

    5) Manners
    This is probably old news to you if you're in the trade for years. But just a comment on pubs in general. It's shocking how many are owned and run by ignorant pigs. You don't have to fall over people because they can see through it, but a simple "thank you for dropping in" when someone is going out the door vastly increases the chances that you'll see them back again.

    6) Price
    A good few people have mentioned price. Although I'm sure it is some bit of a factor, I think it is very much over stated. It might help to be a small bit cheaper than any local rivals, or at least not be dearer than them, but that's about it.
    It is no harm to source your drink as cheap as you can but I think it would be a big no no to be selling cans or bottles with "Multipack" written on them. People would notice it and it looks cheap. It is only reminding them that the bottle they just paid you a fiver for would have cost them €0.50 in Dunnes


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    #56
    puffishoes
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 690 ✭✭✭puffishoes


    Bicky wrote: »
    The OP has stated in his original post that it could be time to close the doors soon. Obviously he is under pressure and dropping his prices and consequently his net profit is not going to do him any good.

    you can come up with all the ideas you want, when the punter is not going because of price there's only one thing to do and that's lower it.

    all the gimmicks in the world won't help the man spend 4.50e when he only has 3e

    It's very simple, lower the price and they will come. If you can't afford to lower the price anymore...maybe it's time to look at a different type of business but ultimately in this climate you will have the same problem you have to price accordingly.


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    #57
    ssbob
    Registered Users Posts: 2,736 ✭✭✭ssbob


    puffishoes wrote: »
    you can come up with all the ideas you want, when the punter is not going because of price there's only one thing to do and that's lower it.

    all the gimmicks in the world won't help the man spend 4.50e when he only has 3e

    It's very simple, lower the price and they will come. If you can't afford to lower the price anymore...maybe it's time to look at a different type of business but ultimately in this climate you will have the same problem you have to price accordingly.


    That is bullsh*t mate, there are a number of reasons why people can't come to the pub, money is one reason but not everyone is broke, there are quite a lot of ways above of attracting new business so let's go down this approach rather than telling people to close up shop on the sight of tough times.

    OP let us know after the summer how any implemented plans go.


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    #58
    puffishoes
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 690 ✭✭✭puffishoes


    ssbob wrote: »
    That is bullsh*t mate, there are a number of reasons why people can't come to the pub, money is one reason but not everyone is broke, there are quite a lot of ways above of attracting new business so let's go down this approach rather than telling people to close up shop on the sight of tough times.

    OP let us know after the summer how any implemented plans go.

    This is a rural pub, pubs in rural areas mostly rely on repeat custom. "due to the current economic climate" the big issue is money. I'm sure there's more reason but the MAIN one is cost. So in this case the answer is very simple reduce the price of the pint and you will increase your custom.

    No one is suggesting close shop, but if the above is not understood then maybe you have no right being in business in the first place.

    ruaral...rural...pub. this is not dame st.


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    #59
    playhouse12
    Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭playhouse12


    If you have space outside in the garden area,i supply install commercial playground equipment tested to EN 1176 standards,these are very popular in pubs all over the UK,and kids want to come back,and parents will spend a few bob,plus kids burgers etc
    Regards Playhouse


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    #60
    syklops
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    playhouse12 wrote: »
    If you have space outside in the garden area,i supply install commercial playground equipment tested to EN 1176 standards,these are very popular in pubs all over the UK,and kids want to come back,and parents will spend a few bob,plus kids burgers etc
    Regards Playhouse

    I dont suppose you sell such equipment?


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    #61
    RATM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,591 ✭✭✭RATM


    Formation wrote: »
    Jesus thats an incredibly high price for a commercial coffee machine.

    Yeah €6k is nuts. Though my guess is a savvy businessperson could pick one up at a liquidation auction for half that amount. And if they can it would even be worth paying a engineer a days wages to go to auction and inspect it before bidding.

    But also don't forget if the pub is rural, rural, i.e. on the side of a road miles from the nearest town then the clientele are more likely to be farmers and are not really the type of person I would associate with a 'coffee culture'. Females are typically the drivers of cafes as they love to chat with friends over coffee for hours (sometimes!) so without a ready supply of them then spending big bucks on a machine could be futile.


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