Future Pub conference: young adults view pub brands as “bland” and “undifferentiated”

Marston’s Inns and Taverns MD Pete Dalzell said the company was “sitting pretty, because we’ve got baby boomers, Generation X, in our pubs: 36% of customers in our pubs are over 50”.

But Generation Y, 18 to 34-year-olds, have a “slightly different picture”. In a survey of  200 consumers pubs did an “OK job across a wide range of things” but were seen as “bland” and “undifferentiated”.

“The big pub brands all sort of blur into one. [Generation Y] didn’t really see the difference between one and the other.”

But the “language changed quite dramatically” around fast-casual brands. Customers were “much more animated” about them, although some, such as Nando’s, polarised opinion. “But they have real emotion and something interesting to say.”

The pub sector “needs to focus on the positive aspects of the pub, rather than trying to emulate casual dining”.

When their pub experience is good, said Dalzell, people see that they’re really special places; they talk about endearing qualities and using pubs. People don’t use casual dining; they go to casual dining.

“Maybe we spend so much time emulating other parts of the industry that we forget what people love about pubs.”

Operators have a “really big decision” to make on this as it’s “dangerous” to be in the middle.