Why Saturday pint and a curry is on the wane

FOR many Britons, Saturday nights are spent putting the world to rights in a pub before wobbling off for an Indian takeaway at closing time.

But those days are numbered as pubs and Indian and Chinese restaurants shut in a cultural shift towards cafes and coffee shops.

People who want to eat out are more likely to want vegan food or to enjoy a meal in American diners or to sample Caribbean, Turkish or Middle Eastern dishes. Some 254 pubs have closed over the past 12 months, analysts have found, while 79 Indian restaurants and 62 Chinese restaurants closed their doors for the last time.

The lifestyle change is also killing off the nightclub, with 74 shutting in the past year. The figures from the Local Data Company (LDC) found that people were looking for other ways to socialise. As a result, there has been an increase of 409 in the number of independent cafes and tearooms, while another 225 coffee shops have opened.

The number of takeaways other than Indians and Chinese rose by 215 and the figure for restaurant bars, offering food and expensive cocktails, increased by 210.

The LDC said: ‘Independent vegan restaurants have experienced significant growth and have more than doubled from eight to 17 in the past 12 months.

‘Other cuisines to enjoy a boost are Jamaican (11 new restaurants and takeaways), Middle Eastern (29), Caribbean (35), Turkish (59) and American (73).’

The LDC’s evidence on the decline of the pub confirm recent figures from the Campaign for Real Ale which said one in three had closed in the past four decades, bringing the total down to 50,000.

Camra blames rising costs, such as business rates, alongside higher taxes on beer.

Roger Protz, editor of Camra’s Good Beer Guide, said: ‘The British pub is rooted in our island’s history. It has character and an atmosphere that could never be replaced.’