BarTalk

How was trade over the bank holiday weekend?

Alan Dreja Royal Oak Southampton Hampshire

It was quiet, as we expected. This is a city-centre pub but we're on the office side rather than near shops, so weekend lunch trade is minimal. We shut on Monday but used it as a PR exercise. A customer has set up a Facebook group called the Royal Oak Appreciation Society, and we used it to announce that we were playing rounders in the park! We're waiting for the students to come back.

Nigel Anstead White Horse Bedford

We had a very good weekend.

We did 120 meals on Sunday

and 130 on Monday. The Monday was a very steady day because we do food all day on bank holidays. We're definitely up on last year so that's good news. We had a few events - karaoke on the Saturday night, which brought in a good crowd and our normal pub quiz on the Monday which always brings in about 90.

Alan Vaughan Country Man Inn Shipley West Sussex

Yes, a good bank holiday weekend. Not quite up on last year but not far off. It's been much better than any of the bank holidays we've had so far this year, the weather was excellent. We're a completely food-led pub and we probably served about 1,600 meals over the course of the weekend.

Dave Parker Shoulder of Mutton Castleford West Yorkshire

We're a very community-oriented pub so we're quiet on bank holiday weekends because everyone's away - I actually order less beer. We've got about a dozen regulars on holiday at the moment and it makes a real difference to our trade. There are a lot of fairgrounds and shows round here at the moment and that affects our trade quite badly as well.