It’s no secret that, like the rest of us, pubs, bars and restaurants are having to deal with soaring energy prices. And whether it’s upping the price of a pint, jigging around opening times or hiring fewer staff, sacrifices have to be made.
Now, one pub in County Durham has found a new way to make up for energy costs, and its customers may not be thrilled about it. As reported by The Drinks Business, punters at Hydes Bar Norton in Stockton-on-Tees are being asked to pay £1 per 30 minutes under the outdoor heaters after the pub owner said their average monthly running cost is over £1,000.
Customers will have to pay for heat tokens at the bar in order to stay warm in its outside area. The decision to charge for the extra warmth was made as an alternative to a blanket increase in drink prices.
On social media, the pub wrote: ‘Like many hospitality venues, our operating costs have substantially increased over the last 18 months. We have to keep our costs low where we can and account for rising charges.’
It acknowledged that some customers ‘will want to have a good moan’ at the change but added: ‘The running costs for outdoor heaters, exceeding £1,000 a month, are not sustainable for us, especially when the bar is almost empty and already heated inside.’
The rising cost of a pint
Time Out loves a pint or two (or three) – and we’re as devastated as anyone when those pints are threatened (or made unaffordable). In recent months we’ve also covered how the UK’s biggest pub chain will soon start charging more at peak times and how a whopping 750 pubs could close in the first half of 2024, as well as revealing the UK cities with the cheapest pints.
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