Rocking the Kasbah
You have to hand it to those BrewDog guys, they are such rebels. At its AGM the other week the PR-hungry indie brewery outlined 2010's trading highlights under the heading 'What rocked!' and the year's lowlights under the banner 'What sucked!'. No straight-laced business types these, clearly. I was also fascinated to hear of the group's next bar opening in Edinburgh. The photo of the site on Cowgate, currently known as 'Chasers', looks remarkably like the frontage to an old bar I frequented in my youth which then went by the name of the 'Kasbah'. The image prompted fond memories of being accosted by the Kasbah's 'security staff' who'd try to chuck one into the venue, rather than the other way round. BrewDog won't have to rely on such tactics when its mega-bucks refit is finished, surely…
Drinks promotion
We're all-too familiar with drinks promotions, even though some are deemed illegal due to their supposed propensity to encourage irresponsible drinking. I was delighted therefore to see the photo above, which puts the old 'two for the price of one' angle truly into the shade…
Santa loses his head
Christmas is coming but not everyone's getting into the festive spirit. Vandals attacked a seasonal display on show at Bar Solo in Carlisle, lopping off Rudolph's antlers and, in an act of mindless savagery, cutting off Santa Claus's head. Staff and customers at the bar were understandably distraught, launching an appeal on Facebook for its swift return. A full-blown investigation was about to get under way, which would have seen bar owner Judith Glover-Smith go through hours of CCTV recordings, when a parcel arrived containing the missing bonce. Judith said she can laugh about it now, "but we were angry at the time. It looks like they did something daft while drunk, which we've all done, and felt bad about it the next day". We know where you're coming from girl…
Fun police
With pubs seeing Christmas bookings reaching record levels the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning firms to "avoid Christmas party pitfalls". The trade organisation says firms should allow staff to let their hair down but that they are expected to turn up for work the next day, "hangover or not". Bosses should lead by example too, the FPB says. "Surveys have suggested that senior managers are more likely to call in sick the day after the Christmas party than junior staff members." And for anyone thinking of getting up to some hanky-panky? "Saucy gifts and games could easily lead down the dangerous path to a tribunal, while too much alcohol could spark arguments and fights, leaving employers dealing with tricky disciplinary issues long after the office decorations have been taken down." Bloody killjoys…
Brewing up a bid
MPs and the pub industry's Great & Good pitched up at the House of Commons' Terrace Bar last week for the annual All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group's Christmas shindig. British Beer & Pub Association chairman Ralph Findlay, introduced by Tory MP Andrew Griffiths as Marston's chairman (he's actually chief executive), made a pretty good speech, extolling the virtues of pubs as the home of responsible drinking etc. However, we took slight issue with his suggestion that if the pub and brewing sectors had been behind England's 2018 World Cup bid it would have succeeded: "With Stella Artois on board it would have been reassuringly expensive, with Heineken it would have reached the parts of FIFA others couldn't, and with Carlsberg it would have probably been the best bid in the world," he opined. If you ask me the industry needs to brush up on its own lobbying skills before lampooning the efforts of others.
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Happy Christmas!