Down the hatch: pubs enjoy takeaway trade

Landlords find inspiration from past to let drinkers bring their own tankards to be filled round the back

Phoebe Southworth

DROPPING into the local pub to fill up a flagon with beer was as common as popping to the butcher for a joint of pork in the Fifties.

Now, as landlords battle to keep their businesses afloat during lockdown, the traditional “off-sales” trade has been resurrected, with drinkers flocking to their favourite watering holes to pick up some takeaway ale through hatches at the pub’s back. Publicans across Britain have been inundated with hundreds of telephone orders over the last three weeks and are expecting a surge this bank holiday weekend.

Customers longing for a proper pint are making a special journey to their local armed with plastic containers – including cylindrical spaghetti jars – which are filled with their preferred tipple, to be topped up as they desire in the following days and weeks.

The decades-old practice has been so successful that pub owners predict it will continue long after lockdown restrictions are eased.

“It’s nice to know this old practice is being resurrected,” said Jen Aries, landlady of The Crooked Well in Camberwell, south London. “Flagons of beer are going to be here for quite a while, and it’s a good opportunity for smaller brewers of craft beers to do business.”

Liz Pledge, landlady of The Fat Cat in

Ipswich, is serving drinks through a flap at the rear of her pub, using boxes able to hold up to 36 pints in one serving. “We know customers by name, or what they drink, and our regulars have been very loyal – we had 100 orders this weekend alone,” she said.

The revival of the old practice has been praised by ale enthusiasts.

Chris Rouse, deputy regional director of the Campaign for Real Ale in East Anglia, said: “The need to support pubs, both now and in the future is greater than ever, and it’s good to see some pubs are able to use ‘the old ways’ to help in these very difficult times.

“Drinking in well-run, communityfocused pubs should always be the preferred option, but a takeout from such a pub is the next best thing.” Emma Mcclarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said, during a “tremendously difficult” time for pub owners, the revenue stream from off-sale trade would provide a welcome boost. “Throughout the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, pubs sold beer to drink at home, and these pubs were a staple part of community life, like the butcher and baker,” she said.

Pubs may be focusing on takeaways at the moment, but they are confident customers will be quick to take advantage of a freshly poured pint when lockdown measures are lifted.

The JD Wetherspoon chain has outlined plans to reopen hundreds of pubs once restrictions are eased, with staff wearing face masks and a limited menu available.

The BBPA has estimated that pubs will miss out on sales of 10 million extra pints of beer over the bank holiday weekend because of the lockdown.