Alcohol 'not a priority' in pubs for Generation Z

A study of Generation Z-ers — those who were born after the mid-90s — cited a myriad of reasons why they do visit the pub, such as: space away from parents and to chill out, meet friends and study, but none of these had anything to do with having a drink.

Male dominance, the ‘old guard’ at the bar and feeling out of place ordering cocktails or soft drinks were also reasons cited by 18 to 24-year-olds for not visiting pubs, the study by hospitality agency Elliotts found.

James Hacon, managing director at Elliotts, said: “There was nothing about the products pubs offer in the responses. It means there is a big opportunity for licensees here, if they just get the environment of their pubs right for this age group. They want it to be friendly, safe and quiet.”

Food and drink spend​

Hacon also pointed to research that revealed although young people have a below-average level of disposable income, they spend more of their money (23%) on food and drink than anything else.

“For young people it is not about a night full of drink but about picking one or two they know will be good. The most popular gins being drunk by students are premium gins,” Hacon added.

The trends also corroborate research from Marston’s collated as part of its Pubs of The Future study with The Sun newspaper.

Weekends 'still important'​

Louise Fleming, head of consumer insight at Marston’s, said: “One of the big themes picked up by the group is weekends are still really important and this age group is still willing to spend money on a big night out. Conversely, they also have really set ideas about value for money and how much they expect to pay for food and drink in pubs.

“But most importantly pubs need to have a wow factor, whether that’s about an ingredient on the menu or interesting décor, and it must be easy for them to share that wow factor on Instagram.”