I've got mixed feelings about this. On a personal level I won't be going, but having worked pubs most of my life my heart does go out to them.
There is tremendous pressure on pubs to open by the breweries and especially pubcos (who are scum incarnate IMO) who are demanding the most ridiculous things, like buying more stock (from them obvs) even though the decision to open hadn't been made at the time, and they have only deferred their rent payments by 8 weeks and will be expecting the back pay as soon as the pubs are open again, along with normal rent payments of course. (In some cases not even open, just "Allowed to open"). What they don't seem to realise is most pubs make money one of two ways, either people on a big night out on Friday and Saturday night, or from food. Any other takings during the week are barely keeping the lights on. Even huge town centre pubs that are busy all the time have to pay more staff, so the turn over has to be huge to make any profit.
It simply won't be viable for most pubs to open with social distancing rules in place, running costs will exceed custom so its cheaper to stay shut. On top of that, I don't think its my place telling people what they can and can't do. It will be bad enough telling people they have to stay sitting at their allotted tables or policing the toilets. I think we are going to lose a lot of pubs.
And all the customers will be weekend warriors anyway, people on furlough desperate for something to do but unskilled in the art of the all-dayer.
#NoPubNoRent
further reading if you want
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money...ns-pub-tenants-start-fight-rental-crisis.html
