GBBF : What do the customers think?
DUANE GRIFFIN, 32, software developer, West London
Do pubs have a future?
Yes, absolutely. They are an integral part of British culture and a great place to hang out.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
Very occasionally. It hasn't greatly affected me, but it is convenient.
Do you know how many units are in the average pint of beer?
Two-and-a-half maybe?
Would you be put off going to pubs if beer was served in polycarbonate glasses?
I dislike it but I wouldn't be put off. Overall though, I would choose a pub that uses real glasses.
VICTORIA LEIGHTON, 30, cabin crew, Ashford, Middlesex
Do pubs have a future?
Yes, hell yes!
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
No, I'm a smoker. If people don't like smoking somewhere, they should go somewhere else.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
We've always gone to a pub that stays open late, so it hasn't affected me and my friends. I'm in favour of it on the whole though.
Do you know how many units are in the average pint of beer?
One-and-a-half to two.
Would you be put off going to pubs if beer were served in polycarbonate glasses?
No - beer is beer. As long as it is good beer and it's cold, I don't care.
SARAH GRIMES AND FRAZER MERRIC, both 18 and students in Essex
Do pubs have a future?
Yes, we have just turned 18 and we definitely think they have a future.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
We get there at the same time but we stay later!
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
S: No, I'm a smoker.
F: Yes, I'm asthmatic.
Would you be put off from going to pubs if beer was served in polycarbonate glasses?
S: No, I prefer them.
F: It feels cheap and it would remind you of being at a festival.
NEIL SWYGART, 51, civil servant, Luton
Do pubs have a future?
Hopefully! It'd be a sorry state if we didn't have good pubs.
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
As an ex-smoker I do. The ban helped me give up - I only used to smoke in the pub. Having just come back from holiday, I now find it weird when people abroad smoke in pubs.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
No - the majority don't open any later anyway.
Would you be put off going to pubs if beer was served in polycarbonate glasses?
Definitely. Plastic is only really served at festivals or nightclubs. I only go to pubs that sell real ale, and they're hard enough to find as it is.
REVEREND CYNTHIA FINNERTY, 62, Blackheath, London
Do pubs have a future?
Absolutely. But my local pub does need to do something about its decor. It is trying, but it does need to be more clean and tidy.
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
Yes, it is much easier.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
No. By about 11.15pm, I've had enough and I'm heading home.
Do you know how many units are in the average pint of beer?
It depends on the style of ale I'm drinking. You need to know the strength of your particular beer.
BLAIR THORPE, 57, retired architect, Kilburn, London
Do pubs have a future?
Yes, but I'm sad for the loss of them. Where I live in London, the population of young and foreign people - who prefer sterile coffee shops - is so great that the pubs are empty or full of drunks. They don't appreciate a good pub; you see them all enjoying coffee and cake when they could be in pubs and enjoy a coffee.
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
Yes, definitely.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
I don't like the change in the law as people used to all come together within one time frame. At 9pm there used to always be people I knew in the pub, and now they are not necessarily there. It splits people up.
PATRICK DELLER, 57, revenue and customs officer, Twickenham
Do pubs have a future?
Yes, definitely. Where I live the pubs are thriving.
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
As an ex-pipe smoker, yes. But the breweries lost the chance when they knocked down saloon and public bars - they could have made smoking and non-smoking rooms.
Would you be put off going to pubs if beer was served in polycarbonate glasses?
I'll drink it out of anything without a hole in the bottom. The public seem to think they'll get glassed but I've been drinking since the 70s and I've only ever seen one person glassed.
IOAN OWEN, 21, computer scientist, Bristol
Do pubs have a future?
Yes. I partake in events like pub quizzes - they're a very social place.
Do you prefer pubs since the smoking ban?
Yes. Pubs have invested in terraces and patio heaters. They've made it lively inside and outside.
Do you go to pubs later since the licensing laws changed?
I'm part of the first generation to not be affected because I started going to pubs when the laws came in.
Do you know how many units are in the average pint of beer?
One-and-a-half to two.
Would you be put off from going to pubs if beer was served in polycarbonate (plastic) glasses?
Definitely. If I'm paying £3.50 for a pint, I want it in a proper glass.
