‘Pint prices are crazy’: Meet the legends ensuring London still has £5 pints
Outrage this week as one Mayfair establishment was caught froth-handed charging £11 for a pint of Moretti. It wasn’t even a special craft pint, just a bog standard lager.
But as our City Editor Simon Hunt points out, it’s wrong to immediately stick it to London’s pubs, which are facing insurmountable costs forcing them to push the cost of the pint up.
“Pubs have had it hard the past few years. Many are on their knees and hundreds have closed,” writes Hunt. “The sector has had to muddle through the Covid lockdowns, followed by soaring inflation, and then punishing tax hikes, business rate upgrades and minimum wage rises that have pushed pubs to the brink.”
“The last thing they need is clickbaity headlines from national newspapers that should know better, saying ‘pubs are a rip-off, don’t go,’ or words to that effect.”
He also points out that in many areas of London pints are still below £5, and that our data revealed that the average cost of a pint is £5.77.
‘£5 pint pub: we’ll be taking a hit’
But the average City AM reader is probably facing the fairly common reality of a pint that costs at least £8.00. I know I have been confronted with that figure on at least two occasions recently – and on both occasions, the figure didn’t end with ‘00’ either.
If you count yourself as living and working within urban elite circles, this is likely becoming a problem. I’ve certainly noticed rounds amongst my friends are down: where spending £20 or £30 on some colleagues is one thing, coughing up over £50 for a few frosty ones starts to feel obscene.
That’s the thing: while the pubs are struggling and we know why costs are going up, it just doesn’t feel right in the moment to pay that much. These prices ruin the spontaneity of the after work pint.
Some London pubs are working overtime to ensure the £5 pint remains a thing in the capital. They might be losing money doing it, or only offering those prices for a short time, but nonetheless they are making sure there are options available.
Over the past week, I’ve received a number of press releases from publicans touting cheaper drinks.
We wanted to make the pint an affordable experience
“Prices for everything seem crazy at the moment,” says Tom Peake, co-owner of the Three Cheers Pub Co. “We want to support the idea that you locals should be able to pop to the pub, have a drink and catch up with friends affordably. The Trafalgar’s £5 Pour is our way of offsetting the madness.”
So what’s his secret? “We’ll be taking a bit of a hit,” he says. “But we’re lowering our prices at off-peak times to make it work. This is our way of trying to support punters where and when we can.”
Ed Martin, co-founder of the Long Arm Brewery & Tap Room, is serving £5 pints all day long in his Shoreditch pub. “With the squeeze on discretionary spend, we wanted to make the pint an everyday, affordable experience for everyone,” he tells City AM.
‘Disastrous economic policies’
Admittedly, he can brew his own beer, which leads to “exceptional efficiency,” helping him keep costs down.
Part of his rationale for serving the pint is that he doesn’t see an end to the climate anytime soon. “Hang in there,” he says. “£8 a pint is now an unfortunate reality, and until the disastrous economic policies of the current Government can be reversed, it is here to stay.”
At The Blue Posts on Rupert Street in Soho, co-founder Layo Paskin has launched a £5 pint Happy Hour every day between 4 and 6pm. She is straightforward about her rationale for the cheapo drinks: “We think about it less as a financial calculation and more as an act of hospitality,” she says.
“The connection people feel to a place is worth more to us in the long run than optimising every cover.”
Places to find a £5 pint
Liverpool Street Chop House & Tavern is serving a £5 pint as a permanent fixture. Two available are their own Chop House Lager and a City Porter. Go to Devonshire Square, 16 New St, Liverpool St, London EC2M 4TR.
The Paternoster Tavern is also serving £5 pints from noon to close Monday to Friday. Go to 47 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JU, next to St Paul’s Cathedral.
Long Arm Brewery in Shoreditch is offering £5 pints all day every day, “with no gimmicks and no happy-hour panics, just proper pints at a decent price. In this economy, that alone feels heroic…” From lagers to hazy IPAs and stouts. Go to 20-26 Worship St, London EC2A 2DX.
The Trafalgar, King’s Road is offering a weekday Happy Hour Monday to Friday, with a £5 lager, ale and cider between 4pm – 6:30pm.
The Blue Posts on Rupert Street have launched a £5 Happy Hour, with pints available between 4-6pm Monday-Saturday.
Molly Blooms in Dalston serves a Fosters for £4.90. Go to 525 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AR.
The Hat & Tun in Farringdon has £5 pints all-day every day. Go to 3 Hatton Wall London EC1N 8HX.