Firms say no to 24-hours
TEES businesses have given 24-hour drinking a definite thumbs down as a new Government report suggested more liberal licensing laws had been a qualified success.
The report claimed crime and alcohol consumption had fallen, but local firms say they’ve lost out.
Tony Spensley, owner of the Dickens Inn in Middlesbrough, said only special events, such as weddings and the World Cup, brought more punters through the doors outside of core hours.
“And even on these occasions, people who stay out until 6am need time to recover and we won’t see them again for a few days.
“We’ve tried to create a culture that we don’t have in the UK.”
Last year, the Prime Minister announced a review of the Licensing Act introduced in 2005 to encourage the development of a European-style cafe culture. But only around 2-3% of establishments applied for around-the-clock opening.
Middlesbrough-based Barracuda bar decided not to open earlier than 11.30am due to lack of demand. It closes at 1am on Friday and Saturday and between 11pm and midnight on week nights.
A spokesperson said: “The 24-hour culture hasn’t taken off.”
Paolo Arceri, who established the Joe Rigatonis chain of restaurants, said the law had failed to boost restaurant trade.
“The key dining time for most people is between 7pm and 9pm and that hasn’t changed by extending the hours.”
John Moon of Boro Cars in Middlesbrough, said that, if anything, the new law had lost him money.
He said: “We used to get an upsurge in work when people went out at around 7.30pm and again when the pubs shut.” Now, his drivers were working longer for the same amount of business.
Stephen Stirzaker, who runs Chinos Pizza Takeaway on Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, added: “If people are falling out of pubs at 3am, I can’t afford to keep staff on until then. Most people just want to go home to bed at that time rather than eat.”
But there was a silver lining for pub chain J D Wetherspoon - which announces its annual results on Friday and has eight pubs in the Tees Valley. It said its decision to open some of its pubs at 8am boosted sales of coffee to half a million cups per week.
