Author Archives: Robert MacRae

It’s 2015 already and the weeks are flying by. Although we have not yet been open 3 months, it feels much longer (in a good, settling-into-the-swing-of-things way) but it’s clear we still have plenty to learn and lots more to do. … Continue reading →

I’ve quit my day job to become a glasswasher. Our micropub has been open a month, during which time we’ve had hundreds of customers through the door…each of them needing a clean glass of course. Cue hours stood at the sink … Continue reading →

After six weeks, the builders have finally packed up and cleared off. The bar has been built, the toilets are ready, the alarms are all set and the light fixtures are up. Now we can finally put our touch on … Continue reading →

There’s a running gag in The Money Pit, the 80s comedy in which Tom Hanks and Shelley Long buy their dream home at a rock-bottom price. They are told the house is a bargain but needs a little work, when actually … Continue reading →

One of the first questions a business adviser wants answering is why? Hundreds of pubs are closing every year, so why do we want to open a micropub? Our response is that the micropub business model seems to be the best way … Continue reading →

The number of pubs in Britain has been declining consistently since 1980, when there were 69,000 pubs in the country; thirty years later and the number of pubs stood at 52,000. Of all the threats to pubs, one of the … Continue reading →

There are dozens of websites, Facebook pages and publications which we follow in order to stay on top of trends in the pub trade. Recently we joined an online licensees support group, the members of which have been invited by … Continue reading →