Can the traditional British pub survive? 17:15 July 15th

Pubs are important social places for British people. It comes from the English word "public house", and there are about 47,000 homes. I had been out of business for more than three months due to the new coronavirus, but it has finally resumed this month. More than 4 million people who died infected with the new coronavirus, in that still does not stand the prospect of termination, of the United Kingdom tradition pub are faced with the great tribulation. (Mari Mukai, London Bureau Chief)

"Super Saturday"

Saturday, July 4th. Pubs are back in business in England, including London. People called it "Super Saturday" and were looking forward to the day when the pub, restaurants, movie theaters, and beauty salons would all be reopened.

Customers visited the pub near London shortly after opening at noon. Many of them are local regular customers. We toasted and were pleased with each other for the first time in a long time. There is no one who "stands down" in the store, and everyone enjoys beer at the table. Order online. You don't have to go to the counter to order. It's a completely different pub appearance.

What is the new “normal”

A pub with a history of over 400 years. With beer in hand, we can discuss the future of the country, such as whether or not to leave the EU, and be depressed by the whereabouts of the soccer game. People who meet for the first time can easily talk to each other and spread the conversation. That's what the pub is all about. However, as the risk of new coronavirus infection persists, pubs are forced to do new things.

・Keep at least 1 meter away from people
・Services should be table seats as much as possible ・Minimize
contact between staff and customers
・Reserve contact information of customers in case of infection
・Music should be played at a low volume to avoid loud vocalizations

The guidance provided by the government extends over 40 pages.

Challenge is “distance”

One week before resuming business. I visited a pub to prepare for it. Co-owner Andrew Meredith said the biggest challenge is "social distances = how to keep distance."

According to the guidance of the government, the number of table seats in the store is less than half the previous number. In order to avoid people from passing each other and colliding with each other, they said that they plan to use one-way streets and use a large garden that does not need ventilation as a beer garden.

Andrew Meredith
"I am worried about the weather in Britain, which is subject to a lot of rain, but with this large garden, I think that you can use it at a sufficient distance."

Prior to the reopening of business on this day, we were selling beer and fish and chips at takeout. Only one set can be placed in the store when ordering. Most customers paid using contactless cards.

However, most of the concern for the store, in the prospect of infection termination does not stand up, but you going to come back to where the passengers. In a UK poll, more than half of the respondents said, "I won't use the pub immediately after it's reopened. Sometime later in the year."

Andrew Meredith
"I would like to ask customers who are concerned about the infection to come when they feel that they can use it with confidence. The first priority is to take reassurance."

Some stores cannot be restarted

On the other hand, there are quite a few pubs that have decided to abandon the resumption of business. The biggest challenge is “distance”. Sean Hughes, who has been in the business of managing pubs for over 20 years, has decided that two of the three pubs will not be in-store for the time being. Mr. Hüth's store has no outside garden, so the service inside the store is the only option. However, the building of the store, which was built more than 500 years ago, has a low ceiling and the interior space is not large enough.

Sean Hughes
“I used to be able to get around 40 people, but according to the guidelines of the government, only 9 people can get in. With this, there is no profit. In the first place, it is impossible to keep distance in a pub.”

Hughes believes that the crowded crowd of many people will not return for the time being. We are planning to sell only at takeout, but the difficult management seems to continue.

Sean Hughes
"I think if we reduce the number of staff we hire, we will keep it for a year even if we reduce the number of employees we hire. The pub is an important exchange place for the region. I want you to do that. To do that, we need measures such as tax reduction measures."

Can you do it? Coexist with corona

Emma McClarkin, chairman of the pub-making industry group, points out how the biggest challenge is how to balance infection control with pub management.

Chairman Emma McClarkin
"The pub industry has been selling £ 100m a month (about 13.5 billion yen), but most of that income has been lost since March. In order to protect the culture of pubs, we must continue to take proper measures to prevent infections and ensure the safety of our customers and store staff.''

Chairman McLakin points out that in the worst case, 25% of pubs could be forced to close, depending on future conditions.

After Corona

This time, everyone was saying that the pub will be completely different than before. On the day of the pub's reopening, regular male customers were warned by the staff to obey the one-way rules in the store, and they grabbed the disinfectant solution while complaining that "This is not a pub". ..

In the first place, there are many people who question whether people can keep their distance at a pub, which is a social area. Some pubs have been confirmed to be infected by customers after the business reopened and were forced to stop operating again.

Nonetheless, Meredith and Hughes did not feel tragic and even felt a strong determination to protect the pub culture. Can a traditional British pub with a history of hundreds of years overcome the new coronavirus? A long battle will continue.

Mari Mukai, London Director General
Joined the
International Department in 1998 and worked at the Sydney Branch, and is currently in charge of British politics and social issues.