Beth Doherty
Deacons, Salisbury, has rolled back the prices of its alcoholic drinks to help keep people in pubs this winter as the cost of living crisis continues.
One of the pub’s owners, Dave Hancock said, “We’ve been listening to our customers and quite frankly, people are finding things hard, as we all are, with bills at home.
“During times like this, one of the first things that people start cutting back on is going out and trips to the pub. So we are trying to offset that a little bit.”
Deacons are one of the very few free-house pubs in Salisbury. This means that they are not controlled by an overarching brewery and have the freedom to choose which brands of beer and spirits they sell.
“A lot of puts are tied to pub groups, which means their prices are fixed at a certain rate or higher and their choice of products is limited.
“We have the freedom to buy from whoever we want to. Due to the nature of our lease agreement, we’ve got some capacity to be competitive with our pricing and we’ve chosen some cheaper suppliers.
“It’s kind of like we’ve gone back to 2005 – we’ve got brands like Fosters, Kronenbourg and bottles of Sol rather than Corona. That means we are able now to charge between £2.75-£3 for a drink, and still make a small, tiny bit of margin on top.”
Deacons have kept their premium offering with beers like the Cornish Korev still on offer for £4.50. However, there is now the option of buying a pint of Fosters for £2.50 or Cornish Best for £2.75.
The same goes for the spirit range, you can now enjoy Gordon’s gin and tonic for £2.75, but if you fancy a Pink Mermaid Gin, the premium offerings are still on offer.
Dave said the local community have been really positive about the move.
“It’s got to the point where after work on a Thursday or Friday you might now be questioning whether you can go and buy a glass of wine.
“We want to continue to make the enjoyment of the pub as accessible as possible because three drinks for less than £10 doesn’t feel quite as bad on the bank balance. There’s something for everyone at an affordable price.”
Looking forward, Deacons will also be offering homemade sausage rolls and a selection of bar snacks which they haven’t done before. They also hope to put on a student night and fun bingo night – watch this space.
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Andy Munns
