BarTalk

Has the weather or smoking ban affected you more this summer?

Suzie Dreja

Royal Oak

Southampton

Hampshire

Yes and yes! They've both been extremely negative. I think the weather has made people stay at home, and the smoking ban makes people spend less time at the pub - people get tired of going back and forth after a while and just go home. I think the ban's really going to start to bite when the weather gets cold - hardened smokers just won't go to the pub because they'll spend most of the time outside.

Nigel Anstead

Whitehorse

Bedford

I think it's too early to tell. We've had an above-average July, but August is starting out a little slower. We've tried very hard, with special events like jazz and supper evenings, barbecues and live music. Sometimes the pub looks a bit sparse because people are spread around so much, some inside and some outside. We had a live band on the other day and they were a bit disappointed that half the pub were outside smoking.

Tricia Baldwin

The Goat & Tricycle

Bournemouth

Dorset

Definitely the weather. Bournemouth is very quiet when the weather's bad, I think our trade's probably been down 20% for the last few months and we've got a good outside area. I think some of the other pubs round here could have done even worse. The smoking ban has not been too bad, not nearly as much grief as I expected. I thought I'd be constantly telling people off for smoking inside.

Dave Parker

Shoulder of Mutton

Castleford

West Yorkshire

The weather's been bad, but we're a locals' pub and they come anyway, whatever the weather. The smoking ban has not damaged my trade, but it has seriously damaged the atmosphere in my pub. Nobody's got anyone to talk to! You get two people coming in for a drink together, a smoker and a non-smoker, and one of them spends the whole time sitting outside. I think the ban needs a good hard look at.