Charging a fee to enter pubs
Q I used to believe it was illegal for a pub to charge an entrance fee.
However, I recently visited another entertainment pub not far from mine where I was refused entry unless I paid £2.
Is this legal?
You wrote recently that charging for TV football in a pub was not allowed.
AWith that exception, it isn't illegal for a pub to make a charge for entry to an entertainment, either as a "one-off" or regularly.
There is a popular misconception that a public house is a public place, and that there is some ancient right for any person to be admitted to such premises during the permitted hours, as long as he is properly dressed and sober.
In fact,a public house is, in essence, a private place, and persons enter and remain entirely at the behest of the licensee or person in charge of the premises.
The "right" to remain may be withdrawn at any time, because the licensee is entitled to accept or reject whoever he chooses, subject only to the legal restrictions on actual discrimination merely on the basis of race, colour, gender or disability.
This means that there is no legal requirement that all or one of the bars of a pub must be constantly available to the public during the permitted hours.
A pub may hold private functions, or restricted functions, and is entitled to refuse admission to anyone not holding a ticket or authority to enter.
It is also not illegal to make an admission charge for a certain event or special evening, fixing the charge at whatever level the landlord wishes.
Where entertainment is provided, some pubs may charge for admission on every night of the week, without losing their status as public houses.
The problem only occurs with copyright laws on TV, films and video.
Dispense point out of sight QI often have a guest beer in my pub, which we put on one pump in the main bar.
If someone orders the beer in the back bar, is it true that I cannot pour it because the pump must be in view of the customer?
It seems ridiculous to me.
AThere's one important point that has been missed out.
This rule only applies where metered dispense equipment is installed and consequently unstamped glasses are being used in the premises.
From the facts in your letter, I have assumed that this is a handpump and not a meter, in which case the rule would not apply in your premises.
Under the terms of a revised Order made under the Weights & Measures Act, the requirement for stamped glasses is dispensed with for metered beer as long as the dispense point "...is installed in such a position that the delivery of the liquor into the container can readily be seen by customers in that part of the premises where the buyer ordered the liquor."
So with metering equipment, the customer is entitled to see his pint poured in front of him, so that he can be sure that a full measure has been dispensed from the equipment.
However, where free-flow dispense points are installed and stamped glasses are in use, there is no specific instruction on visibility, and a dispense point in another bar could be used.
The only problem which might occur in such circumstances is the pouring of the wrong type or quality of beer, which could constitute an offence under the Trade Descriptions Act.
